FRANKFURT — Two workers at Frankfurt Airport have died after contracting malaria, part of a cluster that saw a total of six employees fall ill with the disease. The Robert Koch Institute identified an imported Anopheles mosquito carried by an aircraft as the likely cause of the infections.

In response to the outbreak, mosquito traps have been installed at Frankfurt Airport. Captured mosquitoes will be analyzed by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium to determine their species and origin.

Fraport sent an information notice to every holder of an airport staff badge. "We have provided comprehensive information to all employees and encourage them to consult a doctor if they experience any symptoms," a Fraport spokesperson said.

Frankfurt public health officials addressed concerns regarding broader community transmission. "For the population of Frankfurt, the risk is considered very, very low. The disease is not transmissible from person to person but is always transmitted by mosquitoes," they wrote in a letter.

Why It Matters

Malaria is caused by parasites spread via Anopheles mosquitoes and can cause symptoms including nausea, headache, and intense waves of fever and chills. The disease causes hundreds of thousands of deaths a year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, though patients diagnosed and treated early usually make a complete recovery.

Malaria in Germany almost exclusively affects long-haul travelers infected in malaria-endemic areas. The rarity of airport malaria in Germany can lead to delayed diagnosis, increasing the risk of severe illness. Consequently, the Robert Koch Institute has urged physicians to consider airport malaria when patients present unexplained fever and report no recent travel abroad.

What's New

Additional reporting indicates that 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.

The Frankfurt Public Health Department is coordinating the ongoing investigation into the malaria outbreak at Frankfurt Airport. A study covering Europe from 1969 to 2024 counted 145 airport and baggage malaria infections, nine of them in Germany.

How Sources Differ

Reports differ on the current condition of the surviving infected employees. Der Spiegel report states that the four other infected employees have recovered. In contrast, a Fraport statement indicates that four infected employees were hospitalized and receiving treatment.