Third person dies from malaria in cluster near Germany’s Frankfurt Airport

The Frankfurt Health Department is advising residents to use insect repellent and wear protective clothing after two more cases of malaria were discovered in the city. The health department recommends repellents, which are substances that repel mosquitoes using scent, available as sprays. They also note that bed nets in homes could minimize the risk of a mosquito bite.

The health department emphasizes that the risk of contracting malaria in the city is very low, stating that the climate conditions in Germany are unfavorable for the cycle of mosquitoes and the disease. On Tuesday, the department announced that two residents at Frankfurt Airport contracted malaria, believed to have been transmitted through a mosquito that entered the city on a plane.

Last summer, six airport employees fell ill with what is known as airport malaria, with two of them dying. How common are these cases of airport malaria? According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), airport malaria, or malaria transmitted in the vicinity of an airport, is extremely rare in Germany. A 2024 study published in the journal "Eurosurveillance" shows that 99% of malaria cases in Europe are imported, coming from endemic regions where the disease constantly or regularly occurs.

Between 1969 and early 2024, 145 cases of malaria in Europe were recorded, with at least 105 of them classified as airport malaria. The most affected countries were France (52 cases), Belgium (19 cases), and Germany (9 cases - 8 in Frankfurt and 1 in Munich). Many of these individuals worked or lived near international airports.

Additionally, there were 32 cases of bag malaria, where an infected mosquito was transported in luggage and the infection site was far from an airport. Three of these cases were in Germany. The majority of airport malaria cases (83 of 105) occurred in the summer months. The study's team suggests that environmental conditions play a key role in the survival of an infected mosquito at the destination airport.

However, the team cautions that there is no central data collection system for such incidents. In 2024, Germany reported a total of 934 cases of malaria, including four deaths. The connection between these cases is under investigation. Two of the newly infected individuals in Frankfurt's Schwanheim district, located close to the airport, are receiving hospital treatment.

The circumstances are still under investigation, including whether there is a connection to the previous six malaria cases. The Frankfurt Health Department urges citizens, as well as doctors and nurses, to consider the possibility of airport malaria when experiencing symptoms. They are also expanding mosquito monitoring to Schwanheim.

Malaria is transmitted through mosquitoes, according to the German Foreign Office, and can be life-threatening, particularly for at-risk groups. Protection against mosquito bites and the use of preventive medication can prevent the disease.