![]() ![]() Any beekeeper who is known to be at risk of anaphylaxis to bee venom should seek medical advice on how they may safely continue beekeeping.īees only sting if they accidentally collide with you or if their hive is disturbed. They must always wear protective clothing when collecting swarms or honey. This will reduce but not eliminate the risk of a serious reaction.īeekeepers should take special care. The sac should be flicked upwards with one quick scrape of the fingernail or a credit card. Avoid squeezing the venom sac as this will only inject more venom. Because it takes a few minutes for all the venom to be injected, quick removal of the stinger is important. The bee leaves its stinger (with venom sac attached) in the skin. Our updated Venom Immunotherapy Factsheet has more information and is available to download here. The risk of a serious reaction is low, and most patients successfully complete the course. Anyone receiving immunotherapy has to remain in the allergy clinic for a period of time after the treatment in case they suffer an allergic reaction.Some centres may have different treatment schedules. Once this has been achieved, you may be asked to return every month for injections for up to three years.The initial phase lasts for around 8 – 12 weeks, during which the very low starting dose is slowly increased to reach the required maintenance levels.Immunotherapy treatment takes a considerable amount of time and has two phases, known as “initial” (or “up-dosing”) and “maintenance”: This is the sort of dose you might encounter with multiple stings. It starts at very low doses and rises over an agreed period of time to reach a safe level of venom – usually 100 micrograms. The treatment consists of a course of injections of insect venom. Immunotherapy is available at a number of specialist centres in the UK, but your need for this treatment must be assessed at an allergy clinic. Your GP or allergy specialist may decide you are a suitable candidate for immunotherapy (also known as desensitisation). ![]()
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