We understand why Nevada health officials are reticent to share any information about where people who have West Nile virus live.
There are all sorts of ethical and legal implications when the state takes information from people who are sick and distributes it for any reason.
Clearly that's why the state has determined only to release the county where people live and no more.
Unfortunately, the boundaries of Nevada's counties rarely have any relevance to its physical geography.
The state capital is one of the few places where geography and political boundaries jibe.
Douglas County is easily divided into thirds based on its geography. Carson Valley is very different from Lake Tahoe and even more different from the Pine Nut Mountains, which occupy the eastern portion of the county.
A county as diverse and large as Nye County could be split into a dozen or more different areas.
That's why we propose the state should develop a series of zones based on that physical geography, which would be useful for more than just reporting of West Nile virus statistics.
We agree with Nevada State Health Officer Dr. Bradford Lee that people should take precautions regardless of where they live. But we also feel it is fair to provide some means of warning those charged with our safety where spraying for mosquitoes will do the most good.
