German Airport Workers Die After Malaria Outbreak Linked to Plane-Borne Mosquito

Two workers at Frankfurt Airport have died after contracting malaria in an unusual outbreak believed to have been caused by a mosquito that arrived in Germany aboard an aircraft.

Frankfurt's health authority said the number of deaths rose to two on Wednesday. Airport officials had initially reported that one of six infected employees had died.

Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country's public health agency, said an imported Anopheles mosquito, most likely transported on an incoming flight, was the most probable source of the infections.

Malaria is uncommon in Germany, making airport-linked outbreaks particularly unusual. The RKI said the country's previous outbreak associated with an airport occurred in 2023.

Health officials have warned that the rarity of malaria in Germany can make diagnosis more difficult. Doctors may not immediately consider the disease when patients develop symptoms, potentially delaying treatment and increasing the risk of serious illness.

The four other airport employees who became infected are receiving hospital treatment, according to an airport spokesman. Authorities have also installed mosquito traps around the airport in an effort to identify and contain any further threat.

Mosquitoes captured at the site will be sent to the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, where genetic testing will be carried out to determine their origin and establish whether they are connected to the outbreak.

Malaria is a potentially life-threatening infectious disease caused by microscopic parasites and transmitted through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms can include severe fever and chills, headaches, nausea and other flu-like symptoms.

The disease remains a major global health threat, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths each year, with the overwhelming majority occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malaria is treatable, particularly when detected at an early stage. Patients who receive appropriate treatment promptly generally have a strong chance of making a full recovery.