Two staff members have died from malaria at Frankfurt Airport, according to the Hessian Rundfunk. The first fatality occurred in early July, followed by a second death in August.
In total, six employees have contracted the illness. The infection is believed to have been transmitted by a mosquito from a malaria-endemic region. This mosquito possibly traveled in the cargo hold of an aircraft back in July. The remaining infected individuals are currently receiving medical treatment.
The Frankfurt Health Office described this phenomenon, termed “Airport Malaria,” as an extremely rare form of transmission outside of a typical endemic area. A spokesperson for the “Hessenschau” noted that in the case of airport-borne malaria, there is no human-to-human transmission involved.
Malaria is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes that have been previously infected. Such cases are exceptionally rare in Germany. Typically, infections in the country affect travelers who have contracted the disease while visiting malaria-prone regions.
