So the West Nile virus spreads

ByThe Skeptical Traveler

I can still remember my first executive-class flight (which naturally I landed through an upgrade certificate rather than actually paying for).

There was a mosquito buzzing around my window. Somehow, I’d expect this in coach, but the executive section seems like it should be a mosquito-free zone. I definitely considered writing a strongly-worded letter to Air Canada.

Although I was afraid the bug would bite me, I figured if I let it live it would pay me back in kind and refrain from feasting on me. I did not want to draw first blood.

However, mosquitoes apparently live under rather different principles than humans, and it struck at me with a vicious and entirely unprovoked attack.

I can’t remember in what manner I annihilated it (if I did). All I know is, I didn’t draw first blood, the mosquito did.

The image shows a view from an airplane window, looking out over a landscape covered with scattered clouds. The sky is clear and blue above the clouds. There is a small, dark, blurry object on the airplane window, possibly an insect or a smudge. The ground below is a patchwork of green and brown fields.

The image shows an aerial view of a landscape with fields and scattered clouds. There is a blurry insect on the window, which is in focus and appears to be flying outside, but is actually on the glass. The horizon is visible in the distance under a clear blue sky.

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