Two Frankfurt airport workers die from malaria contracted from mosquito on plane
Two employees at Frankfurt airport in Germany have died from malaria, believed to have been contracted from a mosquito that arrived on an aircraft, according to the city's health authority. Initially, one death and six infections were reported. The Robert Koch Institute RKI indicated that an imported Anopheles mosquito was the probable cause. The remaining four infected employees are receiving hospital treatment, and mosquito traps have been installed at the airport. Germany's last airport-related malaria outbreak was in 2023. The RKI noted that the rarity of such cases can lead to delayed diagnoses, potentially worsening symptoms. The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, will analyze blood samples from the patients to study the malaria parasites. Malaria, transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, presents symptoms such as nausea, headaches, and severe fever and chills. The disease claims hundreds of thousands of lives annually, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa, though early treatment typically leads to full recovery.
