A rare outbreak of “airport malaria” has claimed the lives of three people in the Frankfurt metropolitan area.
The outbreak has been linked to six employees at Frankfurt Airport, where an airport worker died from the infection in August. A third victim, a resident of Schwanheim located north of Frankfurt Airport, also succumbed to the disease recently.
City officials confirmed that two affected individuals contracted the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum despite having no history of travel to malaria-endemic regions, with one victim having no employment connection to the airport. Neither person had recently visited areas where malaria is normally found. Additionally, several people were hospitalized after developing tropical disease symptoms following flights to Frankfurt, and another German resident contracted the infection.
Malaria is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito and cannot spread directly from person to person. The condition known as “airport malaria” occurs when an infected mosquito becomes trapped inside an aircraft or luggage, travels to a region where malaria is not endemic, and bites individuals upon arrival.
According to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute, the national public health and disease-control agency, airport workers contracted malaria between July 4 and July 6. Fraport, the operating company of Frankfurt Airport, reported that six employees contracted the disease in total.
In response, airport officials placed mosquito traps around the property in July as part of containment efforts. Fraport stated that it has provided comprehensive information to all employees and urged anyone experiencing symptoms to consult a physician.
