Rockingham Memorial Hospital says the Virginia Department of Health has confirmed a case of West Nile.

The hospital sent a sample to the health department earlier this month and officials received the confirmation Friday.

Dr. Doug Larsen, the director of the Central Shenandoah Health District, says this is the first case of West Nile in the district this year.

The man was treated at RMH in late September. Larsen says the man has since recovered.

Mosquitoes carry the West Nile virus between birds and people. The first human case of West Nile virus in the United States was reported ten years ago.

From 1999 to 2003, cases were much more common. Health officials say there was one death related to West Nile virus in the Central Shenandoah Health District three years ago.

In very rare cases, a person can experience brain swelling or meningitis. However, the Virginia Health Department says an estimated 80 percent of people infected don't show any symptoms.

Larsen says this is late in the season for a case of West Nile virus. He says researchers in the district are not tracking any other probable cases.

Health officials say there have been only a handful of West Nile cases across Virginia this year.