FRANKFURT — Two workers at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport have died after contracting malaria in an unusual outbreak believed to have been caused by an infected mosquito transported into the country aboard an aircraft.
Fraport, the company that operates Frankfurt Airport, said six employees had contracted what is known as airport malaria, with two subsequently dying. The four other workers have recovered, according to German media reports.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the loss of our colleagues, and our thoughts are with their families and friends,” Fraport said.
Airport malaria is an extremely rare form of transmission that occurs when an infected mosquito survives a flight from a malaria-endemic country and subsequently transmits the disease at or near an airport.
Germany’s national public health institute, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), reported in July that several airport employees had developed malaria after falling ill between July 4 and 6.
The institute said an Anopheles mosquito brought into Germany aboard an aircraft was believed to be responsible for the infections.
Health authorities in Frankfurt are investigating the outbreak.
According to the RKI, malaria among German residents occurs almost exclusively among long-distance travellers who contract the disease in areas where malaria is endemic. Airport transmission is considered rare and may result in delayed diagnosis because health professionals do not initially suspect the disease.
The institute stressed that early diagnosis and treatment are critical to preventing severe illness and death.
Fraport said it had advised employees to inform their doctors that they work at Frankfurt Airport and that cases of airport malaria had been reported, to help ensure appropriate medical examination and treatment.
Mosquito traps have also been installed at the airport. The captured mosquitoes will undergo genetic analysis by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, to determine their species and origin.
The RKI said the last reported case of airport malaria in Germany occurred in 2023, also at Frankfurt Airport.
Frankfurt Airport is Germany’s busiest airport by passenger traffic and serves as the main hub of the country’s flag carrier, Lufthansa.
CNN
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