The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) recommends vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). This applies to everyone who is out and about in nature, both professionally and in their free time or on vacation. In risk areas, health insurance companies cover the costs of "tick vaccinations", which can be obtained from any GP. Some health insurance companies also cover the costs of travel vaccinations. This should be clarified before a possible vaccination.

For complete basic immunization against TBE, vaccination is given three times within a year. If vaccination protection is to be built up in the short term, vaccination can also be given three times within 21 days. Even then, a further vaccination should be given after one year. The vaccination should be boostered every three years if the risk continues.

There is still no vaccination against the most common tick-borne disease, Lyme disease, a bacterial infection. The best protection against Lyme disease is to wear suitable clothing, use insect repellents and remove ticks in good time. In the first stage of Lyme disease, in some cases ring-shaped reddening of the skin around the tick bite as well as headaches, muscle, joint or nerve pain and increased tiredness occur. As it is not possible for laypersons to make a clear diagnosis due to the similarity to a flu-like infection, a doctor should always be consulted if there is any suspicion. The earlier this infection is discovered, the better it can be treated with antibiotics.

The sooner the tick is removed from the body, the lower the risk of infection. In contrast to TBE viruses, borrelia are only transmitted towards the end of the blood meal. It takes at least one to two hours, often up to twelve hours, before the sucking act and thus the transmission of the disease begins.

Ticks stay close to the ground or at a low height above the ground. Their preferred habitats are grass, bushes or shrubs, the edge of the forest and woodland. However, ticks do not fall from trees. Insect repellents and suitable clothing are recommended to ward off ticks. It is best to wear long pants, light-colored, long-sleeved clothing, closed shoes and a head covering. The ends of your pants should be tucked into your socks so that the insects cannot crawl up your calves. After spending time in nature, the body should be inspected for ticks, which should be removed immediately if necessary.

Never suffocate the tick with oil, glue or cream before removing it, but remove it with tick tweezers, a tick snare, tick card or, if necessary, with tweezers or fingernails. Grasp the tick by its proboscis directly on the skin surface and pull it out straight and carefully. Squeezing the tick must be avoided at all costs as this increases the risk of infection. The bite site should then be disinfected.

Diseases resulting from a tick bite do not have to be reported.

Insect repellents should be applied early, all over and without gaps to all areas of skin to be protected. The effect may begin to wear off after around two hours. The active ingredients Icaridin and Diethyltoluamide (DEET) are recommended. However, DEET can have nerve-damaging and allergic side effects, especially when applied to large areas (more than 20 percent of the body surface). It also attacks plastics, such as spectacles.