At least two Frankfurt Airport employees have died after contracting malaria in an outbreak believed to have been caused by infected mosquitos brought into Germany on an aircraft, according to Frankfurt health officials and Fraport, which operates the airport.
Citing Frankfurt health officials, Germany’s DPA news agency reported that the first death occurred in July and that the cause of death was not immediately clear at the time. The second fatality was in August.
The cases are part of a rare outbreak of so-called airport malaria, with six employees infected despite not having traveled to a malaria-risk country.
The other four infected employees are recovering well, health authorities said.
What we know about the Frankfurt Airport malaria death
Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport confirmed the latest death on Wednesday. A spokesperson said the company had been informed by the responsible health authority and expressed “deepest sympathy” to the employee’s relatives.
The first four infections became known in mid-July. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for public health said those affected fell ill between July 4 and 6 and that the infections were believed to have been transmitted by an infected Anopheles mosquito imported by aircraft.
What is airport malaria?
Malaria is a life-threatening disease transmitted by mosquitoes and causes hundreds of thousands of deaths per year, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Particularly in at-risk groups, the disease can lead to coma and death,” Germany’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a travel advisory. “Protection against mosquito bites and the taking of preventive medication can prevent the disease.”
Treatments for malaria exist and are widely regarded as effective when caught early in the infection.
Malaria cases in Germany normally involve people who have contracted the disease while traveling abroad.
Airport malaria, however, can occur when an infected mosquito is transported on an aircraft or in luggage and then infects someone on the plane, at the airport or in the immediate surrounding area.
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The RKI describes such cases as very rare. The last documented case at Frankfurt Airport was in 2023.
Because patients may not have traveled to a malaria-risk area, the disease can also be diagnosed later than usual.
Mosquito traps have been installed at the airport. Mosquitoes captured there are being genetically analyzed at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp to determine their species and origin.
“The mosquito is probably already dead,” Peter Tinnemann, head of the Frankfurt health authority, told DPA. “There is no likelihood of person-to-person spread. The risk to the Frankfurt population is negligible.”
Still, Fraport has informed employees at the airport and advised them to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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