Another fatality has been reported in Frankfurt am Main following a malaria infection, according to announcements from the city health department and Frankfurt University Medicine.
The deceased was one of two individuals reported earlier this week from the Schwanheim district, which is located very close to Frankfurt Airport. Both individuals were infected with the malaria parasite “Plasmodium falciparum”, despite never having traveled to a known malaria-endemic area or worked at the airport.
Since the beginning of July, six people have been diagnosed with malaria linked to their professional activities at Frankfurt Airport. Five of these cases appeared in early July, and one person was diagnosed in mid-August. Sadly, two of these infections proved fatal. Notably, none of the six affected individuals had previously visited a malaria-endemic zone or received a blood transfusion. Authorities are currently investigating how the infections occurred.
In response to these cases, the health department advises medical professionals to consider possible malaria diagnoses even when a patient has not traveled to an endemic area, especially if they present with unclear fever. This caution applies particularly to individuals who work at or near the airport, spend time there, or live in its immediate vicinity. Local residents and workers near the airport are urged to seek medical advice promptly if they experience any relevant symptoms and to clearly indicate that they live or work near the airport.
Malaria tropica is fully and well treatable if diagnosed early and treatment is initiated quickly. Therefore, it is crucial to consider a possible malaria infection promptly when symptoms are present. It is important to note that malaria is not transmitted from person to person in daily contact; transmission requires a bite from an infected mosquito.
Malaria cases are extremely rare in Germany, and locally, they almost exclusively affect travelers infected in malaria regions. However, experts warn that global climate change, specifically increasing global temperatures, raises the possibility that malaria could become endemic in Europe again. Furthermore, the malarial parasite cannot complete its life cycle in German mosquitoes at the cold temperatures of the winter.
