KBC Rijeka now treats severe allergies to wasp, bee and hornet venom with immunotherapy lasting several years. It is designed to prevent future systemic reactions – but it is neither first aid after a sting nor a treatment for every severe swelling.
What KBC Rijeka is now offering
Since August 2026, the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at KBC Rijeka has offered specific immunotherapy against wasp, bee and hornet venom. According to the hospital, this highly specialised treatment is available at only a limited number of centres in Croatia. The Kvarner region therefore gains a closer treatment option where patients previously often had to travel to another centre.
The treatment is also known as desensitisation or venom immunotherapy. It repeatedly exposes the body to small, controlled doses of purified insect venom. The aim is not to declare insect stings harmless, but to change the immune response so that a later sting carries a significantly lower risk of a severe systemic reaction.
It is intended for severe systemic reactions
KBC offers the treatment to people who have developed a severe systemic allergic reaction after a sting. Systemic means that the reaction is not confined to the skin immediately around the sting site. Shortness of breath, swelling of the tongue or throat, circulatory problems, impaired consciousness or a combination of symptoms may indicate anaphylaxis.
A large, painful local swelling alone is not automatically the same diagnosis and does not automatically lead to immunotherapy. Nor is a positive allergy test without a matching medical history sufficient for self-diagnosis. Whether the treatment is indicated is decided by specialist assessment of the actual course of the reaction, allergy tests, risk factors and the possible trigger.
Diagnosis comes before the first dose
Treatment is preceded by a detailed specialist examination. KBC lists an assessment of the clinical history, allergy testing and an explicit determination of the indication. It matters what happened after which sting and how quickly, which organ systems were affected, what emergency treatment was required and whether the responsible insect can be identified plausibly.
Photographs, medical reports, discharge papers and the emergency plan used can make this reconstruction easier. No one needs to catch an insect or perform risky self-tests. Bees typically leave their stinger behind, while wasps and hornets do not necessarily do so; even then, a single detail may not reliably identify the trigger.
New specialised treatment in the Kvarner region
Infographic showing the path from a severe systemic sting reaction through specialist assessment and the initial phase to the three-to-five-year maintenance phase
Treatment takes place in two phases
During the initial phase, the dose is increased step by step under controlled hospital conditions. This is necessary because the administered substance itself can trigger an allergic reaction. At KBC, the day hospital performs diagnosis and treatment under continuous observation by trained medical staff.
Once the intended maintenance dose has been reached, regular ongoing treatment follows. KBC states a duration of three to five years. Appointment intervals, dose, preparation and any extension are individual medical decisions. Anyone beginning the treatment should therefore regard it as a long-term schedule rather than a one-off vaccination before the next travel season.
What the treatment can do – and what it cannot
KBC describes immunotherapy as the only causal treatment and says it significantly reduces the risk of future severe reactions, including anaphylaxis. The European EAACI guideline likewise classifies venom immunotherapy as a treatment to prevent further systemic sting reactions and recommends it particularly after moderate to severe systemic reactions.
That is not an individual guarantee of cure. Treatment success, adverse effects and relapse risk depend on factors including the triggering venom, other medical conditions, medication and adherence to treatment. Specialists therefore also decide how long an emergency kit must continue to be carried. The new treatment does not automatically make a patient’s emergency plan unnecessary on the first day.
After an acute sting, the emergency plan still comes first
Immunotherapy is not acute treatment. Sudden shortness of breath, swelling of the mouth, tongue or throat, severe dizziness, collapse or other signs of anaphylaxis after a sting are a medical emergency. In Croatia, call 112. Anyone prescribed an adrenaline auto-injector should use it according to their personal emergency plan and not wait for antihistamines to take effect.
The affected person should lie down; if breathing is severely impaired, the upper body may be raised carefully. Do not walk around, and seek medical assessment even after an apparent improvement. A visible bee stinger should be removed as quickly as possible without wasting valuable time. These general steps do not replace personal instruction in the use of an individual emergency kit.
How to arrange an assessment in Rijeka
KBC carries out examinations on referral from the responsible doctor. The hospital does not describe direct tourist self-booking without a medical history. For further information, it lists the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at farmakologija@kbc-rijeka.hr and +385 51 658 783.
For people with statutory health insurance in another EU or EEA country, the EHIC is intended for medically necessary treatment during a temporary stay. A planned specialist treatment lasting several years is not automatically covered as holiday care. Before seeking treatment in Croatia, referral, reimbursement and cross-border care must be clarified with the patient’s own insurer and KBC.
Why the service matters to the region
Many people on the Adriatic coast spend a great deal of time outdoors: in gardens, at campsites, while hiking, sailing or working in hospitality. That does not make every sting dangerous, but for people with an existing severe allergy it increases the practical importance of a reliable emergency plan and an accessible specialist centre.
The value of the new KBC service therefore lies less in spectacular technology than in continuity. Diagnosis, monitored dose escalation and maintenance appointments over several years can take place closer to where patients live or stay. Whether any individual benefits remains a specialist medical decision – not a conclusion based on the number of wasps at the breakfast table.
What travellers with a known venom allergy should prepare
Before travelling, prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors belong within reach, not in a hot car boot. Check expiry dates, teach companions how to use them, and carry previous medical records digitally and on paper. A European Health Insurance Card and additional travel insurance do not solve the same problem; repatriation and private services in particular may lie outside EHIC cover.
Anyone who has previously had a reaction beyond the sting site and has never received an allergy assessment should not postpone it until the next holiday. The new service in Rijeka expands the regional options. It does not replace a general practitioner or specialist at home, nor does it replace advance travel preparation.
Evidence
Sources & date
Sources support the facts. Planning notes and recommendations are Golden Beach editorial assessments.
- Specific immunotherapy with wasp, bee and hornet venomKBC Rijeka · 6 August 2026new service, target group, diagnostic assessment, two treatment phases, duration, referral and contact
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology – About usKBC Rijeka · ongoing hospital description, checked 23 August 2026day hospital, diagnostic procedures and continuous medical monitoring
- EAACI guidelines on allergen immunotherapy: Hymenoptera venom allergyEuropean Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2018 guideline, checked online 23 August 2026indications, prevention of systemic reactions and the continuing importance of an emergency kit
- AnaphylaxisNHS · patient information, checked 23 August 2026warning signs and general immediate measures in acute anaphylaxis; Croatia’s emergency number is 112
- Common Wasp (8344566087)Sid Mosdell / Wikimedia Commons · photographed 31 December 2012; licence checked 23 August 2026lead and social image of a common wasp, CC BY 2.0; illustrative image
