Venom immunotherapy is very effective at preventing severe reactions and is available on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme, whereas other immunotherapy treatments in Australia cost an average of A$1,200 per year. This aims to desensitise the body’s immune system, essentially to “switch off” the allergic reaction to the venom. This involves the regular administration of venom extracts with doses gradually increased over a period of three to five years. There is an effective treatment for severe honey bee allergies, called immunotherapy. Skin testing or blood allergy testing can help confirm or exclude potential allergy triggers.Īn allergy specialist is key to assess people’s risk of severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). Your doctor can assess you by taking a full history of reactions. If you have experienced very large local reactions from a bee sting, or symptoms separate from the sting site (such as swelling, rashes and itchy skin elsewhere, dizziness or difficulty breathing) you may have an allergic sensitivity. We do not know why some people become allergic and others don’t, but how often you are stung seems to play a role. However, if you have been stung by a bee, there is the potential to develop an allergy. If you have not been stung by a bee before you are unlikely to be allergic to the venom. It is our body’s allergy to the bee venom, rather than the venom itself, that usually causes life-threatening issues and hospitalisation.

Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening, is the most serious reaction our body’s immune system can launch to defend against the venom.

Some people, however, develop an allergy to some of these venom proteins. The specific activity of some bee venom components have also been used to treat cancer.įurther reading: Curious Kids: Do bees ever accidentally sting other bees?Ī single bee sting is almost always limited to these local effects. The venom is a complex mixture of proteins and organic molecules, that when injected into our body can cause pain, local swelling, itching and irritation that may last for hours.

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