2 Workers Die After Contracting Malaria At Germany’s Frankfurt Airport

Two workers at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport have died after contracting malaria in an outbreak suspected to have been caused by a mosquito transported into the country aboard an aircraft.

The city’s health authority disclosed the deaths on Wednesday, after airport officials initially reported that one employee had died and six others had been infected.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s public health agency, said an imported Anopheles mosquito carried into the country by an aircraft was the likely source of the infections.

Four other infected workers are currently receiving treatment in hospital, according to an airport spokesperson.

Following the outbreak, mosquito traps have been installed at the airport as authorities work to prevent further transmission.

The RKI said Germany last recorded an airport-related malaria outbreak in 2023, noting that such cases are rare in the country.

The rarity of malaria infections in Germany can sometimes lead to delayed diagnosis, which may increase the risk of patients developing severe symptoms.

The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, is also expected to analyse blood samples from the affected workers to identify the malaria parasites involved.

Malaria is caused by parasites transmitted through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms can include headache, nausea, fever and intense chills.

The disease remains a major public health concern globally, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths annually, with the majority occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.

However, effective treatments are available, and people diagnosed and treated early generally make a full recovery.