Two workers at Frankfurt Airport have died after contracting malaria in what health authorities believe could be linked to an infected mosquito that arrived in Germany aboard an aircraft.
Frankfurt’s health authority confirmed the two deaths on Wednesday, after airport officials had initially reported that one employee had died and six workers had been infected.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s public health agency, said an imported Anopheles mosquito carried into the country on a plane was considered the most likely source of the infections. Investigations are continuing to determine how the mosquito entered the airport and whether it was responsible for transmitting the disease to the workers.
The remaining infected employees are receiving medical treatment in hospital, according to an airport spokesman. Authorities have also stepped up monitoring at the airport, with mosquito traps installed across affected areas.
Mosquitoes collected through the surveillance operation will be sent to the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, where genetic testing will be carried out to establish more information about their origin and potentially determine whether they are linked to the suspected imported insect.
Airport-associated malaria is extremely uncommon in Germany. According to the RKI, the country’s most recent known outbreak linked to an airport occurred in 2023, highlighting the unusual nature of the latest incident.
The rarity of locally acquired malaria in Germany can also create challenges for diagnosis, as doctors may not immediately suspect the disease in patients who have not recently travelled to malaria-endemic regions. Delays in treatment can increase the risk of serious complications.
Malaria is caused by parasites transmitted through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms can include headaches, nausea, fever and intense episodes of chills, with severe cases potentially becoming life-threatening.
The disease remains a major global health concern, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths every year, with the vast majority occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
However, malaria is treatable, and people who receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment early in the illness generally have a strong chance of making a full recovery.
Authorities at Frankfurt Airport are continuing to monitor the situation and investigate the suspected mosquito-borne transmission as health officials work to establish whether further infections have occurred.
