German Vaccination Schedule

For those who reside in Germany, the German Vaccination Commission recommends immunisation against the following diseases: Tetanus, diphteria, Whooping Cough (pertussis), Haemophilus Influenzae b (Hib), Polio (poliomyelitis), Hepatitis B, Pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae), Rotavirus, Meningococcus C (Neisseria meningitidis), Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Chickenpox (varicella) (as of August 2016).

Regarding elderly people and pregnant women, the Vaccination Commission recommends inoculation against the flu (influenza). Young women are advised to get vaccinated against cervical cancer (triggered by the human papillomavirus or HPV).

If you live in an area where tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is prevalent and spend a lot of time outside, inoculation against TBE is highly recommended by the Vaccination Commission. Tick-borne encephalisits is a viral disearse which leads to inflammation of the brain, the meninges and the spinal cord. The virus is most often spread by ticks. 

You may need and be prescribed further vaccinations when you want to travel abroad. Find out more on tropeninstitut.de.

In order to immunise you against diseases, your doctor hast to follow different vaccination patterns. Sometimes you might have to be vaccinated several times within a specific period of time. Basic immunisation, which applies to children between 6 and 23 weeks, consists of four part vaccinations (G1 to G4). Once this basic inoculation has been carried out, it needs to be boosted again once the child has reached age 2, and later on at age 17. However, additional boosts might be necessary at a later stage. You can find the recommended schedule of the Vaccination Commission in 20 languages at the rki.de.

When you are vaccinated for the first time in Germany, you will receive a yellow booklet which is called “vaccination record” (“Impfpass”, “Impfausweis” or “Impfbuch”). All your inoculations will be recorded in this booklet which helps you keep track of the immunisation schedule. You should bring your vaccination record along to all your medical appointments. 

Along with an “Imfpass”, you can also an additional record booklet for pediatric medical exams (“Kinder-Untersuchungsheft” or “Gelbes Heft”) for your child. Until your child reaches age 6, all of their medical appointments and tests (U1 to U9) will be documented in this booklet. You receive this booklet shortly after child birth from birth clinic or midwife. If you have lost your child’s record booklet or haven’t received one yet, ask your doctor’s office for help.

All public health insurance companies pay for the vaccinations recommended by the Vaccination Commission (according to the official vaccionation guideline). Some health insurances also pay for vaccinations against diseases that you might catch while on holiday abroad (“Reiseimpfung”). If you are at a higher risk of infection because of your profession, your employer has to pay for all the relevant inoculation you might need, according to section 3 of the Workers’ Health and Safety Act (“Arbeitsschutzgesetz”). 

In nurseries, elementary schools, holiday camps or other types of shared accommodation, many have to share limited spaces. In order to protect individuals from contagious diseases, special regulations are put in place. Infected individuals are obliged to inform the relevant staff, so that further spread of infection to others can be avoided. Infected children cannot go to kindergarden or school. To learn more, check Robert Koch institute's "Instruction For parents whose children attend communal facilities" which is available in several languages.

The Permanent Vaccination Commission (“Ständige Impfkommission” or “STIKO”), which is made up of various medical experts and is associated with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), regularly publishes recommended vaccination schedules in more than 20 languages along with other vaccine-related information leaflets. You can find more information about common diseases and their pathogens in 6 different languages on infektionsschutz.de. In addition, the Robert Koch Institute offers a lot of information in various languages. If you can read German, you can also take a look at the information offered on impfen-info.de which is run by the Federal Agency for Health Education (BZgA). There you will also find a few explanatory videos about the vaccination in Germany.