[FITZ]

I live in what would be considered a dry and arid place and the mosquitoes are really bad here, you go outside and they swarm all over you. Every place human or birds live has some kind of water and there would be mosquitoes. I can't see West Nile being used by terrorists because most people with healthy immune systems won't even know they have it. I'm not very afraid of getting it and I suspect I will.

[Cachelot]

I live in what would be considered a dry and arid place and the mosquitoes are really bad here

Texas? Water nearby such as pools? I've seen WN reports from places more dry than that, I think. And even counting in the mosquito vector (which is real, they're testing mosquito pools right now and many of them are positive), this thing is spreading a bit too fast for my liking - and there's at least one other virus in the same group as WN which is now spreading into Europe. Thing about that one is that it's never been seen outside of Africa before. And that this is a slightly new variant of it. Look up USUV.

There are some things that points to the Madagascar outbreak also being a virus in the same group, but the WHO has determined that influenza is on the loose there. They detected flu in a handful of the cases they tested immediately after being called in.

[struwwelpeter]

I can't see West Nile being used by terrorists because most people with healthy immune systems won't even know they have it.

What if... this is only a "dry run" to test how well their bird vectors from Cuba spread a relatively harmless strain. Or a "shot across the bow" warning what could happen.

In this thread, The Scotsman reports:

In July 2002, the Washington Post ran a detailed report suggesting that the CIA has found a laboratory on the west bank of the Tigris river, where 85 scientists were working on a viral strain code-named Blue Nile.

"Blue Nile" (West Nile and a hemorrhagic fever, such as Ebola?). Now THAT would be some weapon.