Six staff members at Frankfurt Airport have been infected with malaria, as reported by Hessischer Rundfunk referencing the airport operator Fraport and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). One infected employee has died.
The transmission is believed to have occurred when a mosquito, originating from a malaria-affected region, traveled in the aircraft’s freight compartment back in July. The remaining infected employees are currently receiving medical care.
Frankfurt’s Public Health Office has labeled this unusual transmission route “Airport Malaria,” noting that it is an extremely rare case of transmission occurring outside of a recognized malaria zone. A spokesperson for the local news agency stated that human-to-human transmission is not a factor in this type of outbreak.
Malaria is transmitted via the bite of infected “Anopheles” mosquitoes. Such incidents are exceptionally rare in Germany, where most reported cases involve travelers who had been infected in endemic regions abroad.
