How soon do symptoms appear?
The time from exposure to ricin toxin to onset of symptoms can range from less than 1 hour to 12 hours or greater. Symptoms of poisoning from eating ricin-contaminated food or Castor beans can occur within 2-3 hours. Inhalation of ricin-contaminated particles can cause symptoms within 3 hours. Sometimes the symptoms can be delayed many hours.
Symptoms can appear between 3 and 15 days after a mosquito bite from an infected mosquito. Back to Top How long do symptoms last? Symptoms of West Nile fever will generally last a few days, although even some healthy people report being sick for several weeks. Symptoms of severe disease (encephalitis or meningitis) may last several weeks, and some symptoms may become permanent. Back to Top How do I know if I have West Nile virus? Other illnesses can cause symptoms just like those described above for West Nile virus. The only way to know if you have West Nile virus is to see your health care provider. Your health care provider will need to run laboratory tests to find out if you have West Nile virus or not. If you are concerned about your health or about the health of someone in your family, please contact your health care provider. Back to Top What is the treatment for West Nile virus? There is no specific treatment for disease caused by West Nile virus. Antibiotics do not work. There
