Two workers at Frankfurt Airport in Germany have died after contracting malaria in a rare outbreak believed to have been caused by an infected mosquito brought into the country aboard an aircraft.
Frankfurt’s health authorities said six airport employees have been diagnosed with malaria tropica, the most dangerous form of the disease, since the beginning of July. Two of those infected have died, while the remaining four have received hospital treatment and recovered.
The first death occurred in early July, while the second was recorded in August, according to the Frankfurt health authority and airport operator Fraport.
Infected Mosquito Suspected
Authorities believe the infections may have been caused by an infected Anopheles mosquito that arrived in Germany aboard an aircraft from a malaria-endemic region.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s public health agency, has identified an imported Anopheles mosquito as the likely source of the infections. The phenomenon is known as “airport malaria” and is extremely rare in Germany.
Health officials have launched an investigation to determine how the infections occurred and whether the cases are genetically linked.
Mosquito traps have been installed around Frankfurt Airport, with captured mosquitoes being examined in specialist laboratories to establish their species and possible origin.
Authorities Urge Calm
Despite the deaths, Frankfurt health authorities have stressed that there is currently no increased health risk to the general population.
Malaria is not transmitted directly from person to person. Instead, the parasite is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Health officials have informed airport employees about the outbreak and urged them to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms associated with malaria.
Doctors have also been advised to consider malaria when treating airport workers or other people connected to the airport who develop unexplained fever.
The rarity of airport-transmitted malaria can make diagnosis more difficult, potentially delaying treatment.
Airport Monitoring Intensified
Fraport, which operates Frankfurt Airport, has confirmed the deaths and expressed sympathy to the families and colleagues of the affected workers.
The airport and public health authorities are continuing mosquito monitoring and investigating possible routes through which infected mosquitoes may have entered the airport.
The RKI said airport malaria remains an exceptionally rare occurrence in Germany, where most malaria cases are associated with people who have travelled to countries where the disease is widespread. The last known case of airport malaria in Germany was reported in Frankfurt in 2023.
Authorities are expected to continue monitoring the situation while laboratory investigations seek to establish the precise source of the infections.