Frankfurt Airport workers die after malaria infection
Two Frankfurt Airport employees have died following a rare outbreak of 'airport malaria' involving six total cases. Health officials believe the infections were transmitted by mosquitoes transported to Germany via aircraft.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the risks of global travel and the potential for vector-borne diseases to emerge in non-endemic regions through international transport.
An unusual cluster of malaria cases at Frankfurt Airport infected six employees, two fatally. Mosquitos brought in on an aircraft are thought to have caused the infections.
https://p.dw.com/p/5JQZU Anopheles mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn, which can make bites easy to miss Image: Roger Eritja/Visually/picture alliance Advertisement At least two Frankfurt Airport employees have died after contracting malaria in an outbreak believed to have been caused by infected mosquitos brought into Germany on an aircraft, according to Frankfurt health officials and Fraport, which operates the airport.
Citing Frankfurt health officials, Germany's DPA news agency reported that the first death occurred in July and that the cause of death was not immediately clear at the time. The second fatality was in August.
The cases are part of a rare outbreak of so-called airport malaria , with six employees infected despite not having traveled to a malaria-risk country.
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