Two workers at Frankfurt Airport have died after contracting malaria from an infected mosquito likely carried on an aircraft, German health authorities confirmed this week. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) stated that an imported Anopheles mosquito was the probable source of transmission, marking the second such outbreak in Germany this year.
Frankfurt health officials reported six employees infected, with the first death occurring in early July and the second in August. The remaining four infected workers have since been discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment. The RKI emphasized that malaria transmission within German airports remains rare, with most cases involving travelers returning from endemic regions.
Airport operator Fraport installed mosquito traps around the facility, and collected specimens are being analyzed in a laboratory. The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, will conduct genetic testing on the insects to determine their species and origin. Traps were set up after the initial cases were reported in mid-July, with patients falling ill between July 4 and July 6.
Health authorities stressed that the risk to the general public in Frankfurt is considered very low, as malaria is not transmissible person-to-person. Symptoms include nausea, headache, and severe fever and chills, though early diagnosis improves treatment outcomes. The RKI noted that Germany’s last airport-based malaria outbreak occurred in 2023.
Officials have urged physicians to consider airport malaria when patients present unexplained fever without recent travel history, particularly among airport workers. The RKI’s Epidemiological Bulletin highlighted that this advice applies to anyone working at or near airports served by intercontinental flights. Laboratory results to pinpoint the mosquito’s origin are expected in several weeks.
Malaria, caused by parasites spread via Anopheles mosquitoes, remains a leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa, with hundreds of thousands of fatalities annually. While treatments exist, delayed diagnosis increases the risk of severe complications.