27.08.2026 08:30
Two of six employees who contracted malaria from mosquitoes at Frankfurt Airport, Germany's busiest airport, have died.
German health authorities have said that mosquitoes are believed to have arrived at the airport by plane, and that the outbreak was first detected in July.
The airport operator Fraport's spokesperson told the BBC that one employee had died due to the infection, while public health officials later announced on Wednesday that two people affected by the infection had died.
Traps have been set up at the airport to catch mosquitoes. The caught mosquitoes will be analyzed in a laboratory to determine their species and origin.
6 INFECTED EMPLOYEES WORKED IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE AIRPORT
The Fraport spokesperson said, "We have comprehensively informed all employees and advised them to consult a doctor if they feel any symptoms."
The Frankfurt Public Health Department has launched an investigation into the outbreak. According to information obtained by the BBC, the six infected male employees held different roles and worked in different areas of the airport.
Officials will examine blood samples from the affected employees to determine whether the infection was transmitted by a single mosquito or by different mosquitoes.
In an information letter sent to the press by Frankfurt public health officials on Wednesday, it was stated that "the risk to the public in Frankfurt is assessed as very, very low."
Officials also reminded that the disease is not transmitted from person to person, but through mosquitoes. It was reported that the results of the necessary laboratory tests to determine the source of the infection will not be completed for several weeks.
FIRST CASES EMERGED IN JULY
The malaria outbreak affecting airport employees was first detected in July, with four employees reported to be infected.
The Robert Koch Institute, Germany's federal government agency for disease control and public health research, announced that four employees fell ill between July 4-6 and that malaria-carrying mosquitoes may have been transported to the airport by plane.
The Institute emphasized that nearly all malaria cases in Germany occur in people who travel to regions where malaria is common, and that finding a malaria outbreak at an airport in Germany is extremely rare.
In the epidemiological report published by the Institute, it was noted that airport employees may have been diagnosed late "because they had no travel history." The report also included the assessment that "late diagnosis of the disease increases the risk of a more severe course."
The report stated that the last case of malaria at an airport was seen in 2023, also at Frankfurt Airport.
MALARIA IS TRANSMITTED THROUGH MOSQUITOES
According to the World Health Organization, malaria is transmitted through certain species of mosquitoes that bite humans and is commonly found in tropical countries.
This infection, caused by a parasite, is preventable and treatable. The disease is not transmitted from person to person. However, in some infected individuals, symptoms can be moderate, while in others they can be severe enough to pose a life-threatening risk.