Two German airport workers die of malaria from mosquito on plane

Two German airport employees have tragically died from malaria contracted by a mosquito believed to have arrived on a plane, according to the city's health authority. The airport's health officials initially reported one fatality and six infected workers. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) identified an imported Anopheles mosquito as the probable source of the deadly disease.

The other four infected employees are currently receiving treatment in a hospital, the airport spokesperson confirmed. Germany's last instance of airport-based malaria occurred in 2023, and the rarity of the illness can lead to delayed diagnosis, heightening the likelihood of severe symptoms. Airport officials have installed mosquito traps at the facility, with the captured mosquitoes to be analyzed at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium for genetic testing to determine their origin.

Malaria, caused by parasites spread through Anopheles mosquitoes, can lead to symptoms such as nausea, headache, and severe waves of fever and chills. This disease claims hundreds of thousands of lives annually, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa. Early detection and treatment of malaria generally result in full recovery.