This is the first summer in a long time that we haven't heard much about West Nile Virus. Usually, by July, we've had a few cases in Kansas or Missouri, but there aren't even health alerts going on right now.
That's a good thing, of course.
Ever since it first appeared in the eastern United States in the late 1990s, the virus seems to be striking farther west each summer. Maybe we've run it out into the Pacific Ocean, and if that's the case, it's a good thing.
Don't get complacent, though. My family and I have had more mosquito bites in the past week than we have all summer, and it's not that we're spending a lot more time outside. The recent rains, especially with all the standing water to the south of the metro area, has made for ideal mosquito breeding grounds. If you've got an area in your yard where water tends to collect and stand, such as a wading pool, old tire or cleaning bucket, do everyone a favor and dump it out every now and then. And don't forget the bug block if you're planning on spending time outside.
Absence of a menace doesn't mean the menace is gone.
Jeff Field
NBC Action News Executive Producer