Second Frankfurt Airport Employee Dies in Rare Malaria Outbreak
A second Frankfurt Airport employee has died after contracting malaria, authorities confirmed on Wednesday, as part of a rare outbreak of so-called airport malaria linked to infected mosquitoes arriving on aircraft.
Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport confirmed the latest death, with a spokesperson saying the company had been informed by the responsible health authority and expressed “deepest sympathy” to the employee’s relatives.
The death follows an earlier fatality in July. Germany’s DPA news agency reported at the time that another airport employee had died of malaria, citing Frankfurt’s health authorities, though the cause of death was not immediately clear.
In total, six airport employees are known to have contracted airport malaria in connection with their work, despite not having traveled to a malaria-risk country.
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.
What is airport malaria?
Malaria cases in Germany normally involve people who have contracted the disease while traveling abroad. Airport malaria, however, can occur when an infected mosquito is transported on an aircraft or in luggage and then infects someone on the plane, at the airport, or in the immediate surrounding area.
The RKI describes such cases as very rare. The last documented case at Frankfurt Airport was in 2023. Because patients may not have traveled to a malaria-risk area, the disease can also be diagnosed later than usual, increasing the risk of a severe course.
The remaining infected employees are receiving medical treatment, while the local health authority continues to monitor the situation.
Mosquito traps have been installed at the airport. Mosquitoes captured there are being genetically analyzed at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp to determine their species and origin.
Fraport has also informed employees at the airport and advised them to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms.
Malaria basics
Malaria is a disease spread by some types of mosquitoes biting humans, and is mostly found in tropical countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The infection, which is preventable and curable, is caused by a parasite and does not spread from person to person. The Anopheles mosquito, which transmits the disease, is also known as the nail or marsh mosquito.