German airport worker dies of malaria from mosquito carried on plane

Two employees at Frankfurt Airport contracted malaria from a mosquito believed to have been transported on a plane, with one worker succumbing to the disease while five others are receiving treatment, according to the city's health authority. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) identified an imported Anopheles mosquito as the likely cause of the outbreak.

This marks Germany's first airport-based malaria case since 2023, a rarity that can lead to delayed diagnosis and more severe outcomes. Mosquito traps have been installed at the airport, and the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, will analyze the malaria parasites in the patients' blood samples. Malaria, caused by parasites spread via Anopheles mosquitoes, can lead to symptoms such as nausea, headache, intense waves of fever and chills, and remains a major cause of death globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Early detection of the disease and appropriate treatment typically result in full recovery.