Two areas added to list of TBE risk zones in Germany

The Robert Koch Institute has added two areas to the list of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) risk zones in Germany. There are now 185 TBE risk zones across the country.

RKI announces new TBE risk zones

Every year, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German government institute for disease control and prevention, updates its list of TBE risk zones in Germany.

TBE (known as FSME in German) is a viral infection spread by tick bites. It is thought that around 20 percent of ticks in Germany carry TBE. In most cases, someone who is bitten by a TBE-infected tick will experience mild, flu-like symptoms which go away on their own. In rare and extreme cases, a TBE infection can spread to the brain and cause serious health problems.

People with TBE are required to register their case with a doctor in Germany. The RKI uses these registered cases to decide which areas should be designated as TBE risk zones. 

According to the RKI’s 2026 assessment, TBE risk zones are most prevalent in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, southern Hesse, southeast Thuringia, Saxony, southeastern Brandenburg and eastern Saxony-Anhalt. There are also a few risk zones in central Hesse, Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.

The two newly added risk zones are in northern Saxony, which borders an existing risk zone, and in Halle (Saale). Here is the RKI’s full 2026 list of tick risk zones.

How to protect yourself from ticks in Germany

The RKI recommends that anyone living in a TBE risk area get vaccinated against the disease. If you live in or are travelling to a tick risk zone, you can get vaccinated with your GP, and your statutory health insurance will cover the costs. Two injections of the vaccine will protect you for around a year, while a booster shot protects you for an additional three years. 

You can also take measures to reduce your chance of being bitten by ticks. Ticks thrive in warm and wet weather, so look out for the critters if you’re out in meadows or walking in long grass in the summer months, particularly if it has rained recently.

Wear long trousers and long sleeves when walking in long grass and other vegetation. Wearing insect repellent can also help. After walking, you should check yourself and any pets thoroughly for ticks and quickly and carefully remove any that you do find.