Two German airport workers die of malaria from mosquito on plane

Two German airport workers have died from malaria after being infected by a mosquito that likely boarded a plane, according to the city's health authority in Frankfurt. Earlier reports indicated that one worker had died, with six others infected. The Robert Koch Institute identified an imported Anopheles mosquito as the probable cause, transported by an aircraft.

Four other employees are currently receiving hospital treatment. Germany last experienced an airport-based malaria outbreak in 2023, and the delayed diagnosis of the condition can lead to severe symptoms. Airport officials have installed mosquito traps to monitor the situation, with captured specimens to be analyzed by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp for genetic testing to determine the mosquito's origin.

Malaria, caused by parasites spread through Anopheles mosquitoes, can cause symptoms such as nausea, headache, and severe fever and chills, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths annually, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. With early treatment, patients typically recover fully.