TBE (Tick-borne Encephalitis) Vaccination

The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends the TBE (tick-borne encephalitis) vaccination for all individuals who spend time in or live in TBE areas and who may be bitten by ticks. This applies to everyone who spends time outdoors regularly: including walkers, campers, cyclists, joggers, as well as forestry workers and agricultural employees. Urban parks and gardens are also tick habitats. Additionally, a TBE vaccination may be necessary when travelling to foreign countries.

Three vaccinations are required for primary immunisation. Following the standard vaccination schedule, the second dose is administered one to three months after the first. A third vaccination is then given, depending on the vaccine used, after a further 5 to 12 or 9 to 12 months. To ensure protection from the start of the tick season in April of the current year, it is advisable to begin the vaccination series during the winter months.

Booster vaccinations are required either every 3 or 5 years, depending on your age.

The TBE vaccine is an inactivated vaccine. The vaccination is administered into the deltoid muscle of your upper arm.

The most frequently reported vaccination reactions are pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site. These complaints also occur with other vaccinations and indicate that the body is responding to the vaccine.

Within the first four days after vaccination, general symptoms such as a rise in temperature and fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, malaise, or gastrointestinal complaints may occur.

As a rule, the reactions described subside quickly and without lasting effects. They occur primarily after the first vaccination and less frequently with subsequent doses.

To check whether you are protected or whether a vaccination would be advisable, simply make an appointment for a vaccination status review at one of our avi practices and discuss the matter with our medical team. The team will advise you in detail as to whether you are already protected or whether you should receive a vaccination. The doctors will also check whether there are further vaccinations that would be beneficial for you, and will administer these directly where appropriate.