The transmission of Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus is governed by complex interactions between ticks and hosts and habitat features. So far, the relationship between biodiversity and TBE risk has been scarcely evaluated. Therefore by considering habitat richness as a proxy for biodiversity, we modelled the association between the habitat richness index (HRI) and the distribution of human TBE cases across Europe. Giulia Ferrari and her team validated their findings at local scale using municipality data collected in Trento and Belluno provinces, in northern Italy. They found a limiting effect of HRI on the presence of TBE cases in both Europe and northern Italy, with a significant role of wild mice as TBEV hosts. Their findings suggest that in highly diverse habitats the TBE risk decreases. Therefore biodiversity loss that is increasingly evident under ongoing global change could ultimately enhance disease risk for both humans and wildlife.