Two workers at Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest airport, have died from malaria following an outbreak that infected six male airport employees across different job roles and areas of the facility, according to German public health officials.
The outbreak was first detected in July, with the Robert Koch Institute—a German federal government agency for disease control and public health—reporting that four employees fell ill between July 4 and 6. Officials believe the mosquitoes arrived at the airport via an incoming plane, triggering the rare transmission event.
According to the institute, malaria in Germany almost exclusively affects long-haul travellers who contracted the disease in malaria-endemic areas. Airport-based transmission is uncommon, with the previous case also occurring at Frankfurt Airport in 2023.
The outbreak is being investigated by the Frankfurt Public Health Department, which has installed traps at the airport to capture mosquitoes for laboratory analysis to determine their species and origin. Officials are also analysing blood samples from the infected workers to establish whether they were infected by a single mosquito or multiple mosquitoes.
Laboratory tests to identify the source of the infections are not expected to be available for several weeks, according to public health officials.
Fraport, the airport operator, stated that “comprehensive information” has been provided to all employees and encouraged staff to consult a doctor if they experience symptoms. A Fraport spokesperson told the BBC that one employee had died, though public health officials subsequently confirmed two deaths on Wednesday.
Malaria is a disease spread by certain types of mosquitoes and is mostly found in tropical countries, according to the World Health Organization. The infection is preventable and curable, caused by a parasite, and does not spread from person to person, though symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening.
The Robert Koch Institute noted that the absence of a travel history can lead to delayed diagnosis, which increases the risk of severe disease. For the general Frankfurt population, public health officials stated the risk is “very, very low” since the disease is not transmissible between people and requires mosquito transmission.
Key facts
- Two Frankfurt Airport workers died from malaria in an outbreak affecting six male employees
- Mosquitoes are believed to have arrived at the airport on an incoming plane, first detected in July
- The last airport malaria case at Frankfurt Airport was in 2023
- Malaria does not spread person-to-person and is preventable and curable
- Laboratory results to identify the mosquito species and origin are expected in several weeks