A worker at Frankfurt Airport has died of malaria following a rare outbreak that has infected six employees at Germany’s busiest airport.
German public health officials believe the infections may have been caused by mosquitoes that arrived at the airport aboard an aircraft. The remaining five infected workers are receiving medical treatment, according to Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt Airport.
The outbreak is being investigated by Frankfurt’s Public Health Department, with officials working to determine how the infections occurred and whether they were linked to the same mosquito.
Six Airport Workers Infected
The six infected workers are all men employed in different roles and working in different areas of the airport. Fraport confirmed that one of the employees had died as a result of the infection.
“Sadly, we must confirm that one employee has died as a result of the infection,” a Fraport spokesperson told the BBC.
The company said it had provided comprehensive information to its employees and encouraged anyone experiencing possible symptoms to seek medical attention. Officials have installed mosquito traps around the airport, with captured insects being sent to laboratories for analysis.
The testing will seek to establish the species of mosquito involved and determine where it originated.
Health officials are also analysing blood samples from the infected workers to establish whether they were infected by a single mosquito or multiple insects.
Public Risk Considered Very Low
Despite the death and the number of infections, Frankfurt health authorities have stressed that the risk to the wider public is extremely low. In a letter sent to media outlets, the Frankfurt Public Health Department said the risk to the population of Frankfurt was “very, very low”.
Malaria is not transmitted directly from one person to another. It is normally spread when an infected mosquito bites a person and subsequently transmits the malaria parasite through another bite.
Laboratory tests aimed at identifying the source of the outbreak are not expected to be completed for several weeks. The authorities’ investigation is therefore still ongoing.
Airport Malaria is Extremely Rare in Germany
Germany does not normally see locally transmitted malaria. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s federal disease-control and public-health research institute, previously reported that the four workers initially identified in the outbreak became ill between 4 and 6 July.
The institute said the mosquitoes were believed to have arrived at Frankfurt Airport aboard an aircraft. Malaria cases in Germany almost exclusively involve people who have travelled to malaria-endemic regions and became infected abroad. Locally acquired malaria at an airport is considered rare.
The RKI has previously warned that the absence of a travel history can make malaria harder to recognise, potentially delaying diagnosis. A delayed diagnosis can increase the risk of the disease becoming severe. Frankfurt Airport last recorded a case of airport-acquired malaria in 2023, according to the institute.
How Malaria Spreads
Malaria is caused by parasites transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The disease is most common in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
According to the World Health Organization, malaria is both preventable and curable. Although the disease can range from relatively mild illness to a life-threatening infection. Symptoms can include fever, chills, headache, weakness and other flu-like symptoms.
The Frankfurt outbreak highlights the unusual possibility of malaria transmission occurring in a country where the disease is not normally established. Particularly when infected mosquitoes are transported through international air travel.
For Frankfurt residents, however, authorities currently consider the risk from the outbreak to be extremely low.
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