Mosquitoes kill 2 German airport workers after reportedly arriving on plane

• Two German airport workers have died from malaria in a rare outbreak at Frankfurt Airport.

• Health officials suspect infected mosquitoes arrived in Germany aboard a plane and later bit airport workers.

• Six workers have contracted malaria, while authorities say the risk to Frankfurt residents remains very low.

Six male employees working in different roles and areas of the airport were infected in the outbreak, which was first detected in July. German health officials are investigating whether the infections were caused by a single mosquito or several mosquitoes.

The Frankfurt Public Health Department has installed traps around the airport to capture mosquitoes for laboratory analysis. The tests are expected to establish the species of mosquito involved and determine where it originated.

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A spokesperson for airport operator Fraport told the BBC that the company had confirmed the death of an employee following a malaria infection.

"We have provided comprehensive information to all employees and encourage them to consult a doctor if they experience any symptoms," the spokesperson said.

Public health officials later confirmed that two of the six infected workers had died.

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The outbreak was initially reported in July, when four employees were known to have contracted malaria. According to the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's federal public health agency, the affected workers became ill between 4 and 6 July.

Investigators believe the mosquitoes may have been transported into Germany aboard a long-haul aircraft before infecting workers at the airport.

For residents in Frankfurt, however, officials say the risk remains extremely low.

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"For the population of Frankfurt, the risk is considered very, very low. The disease is not transmissible from person to person but is always transmitted by mosquitoes," Frankfurt's public health authorities said in a letter to media organisations.

Health officials are also examining blood samples from the infected workers to establish whether they contracted malaria from the same mosquito or through separate mosquito bites.

The outbreak in Germany is unusual because malaria transmission within the country is extremely rare. The disease is primarily concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in Africa.

The World Health Organization estimates that the African region accounts for the vast majority of malaria cases and deaths globally. In 2024, an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths were recorded worldwide.

Nigeria remains the country with the largest malaria burden, accounting for a significant share of global cases and deaths. Other heavily affected countries include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Niger and Ghana.

Malaria is caused by parasites transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms can include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and fatigue, and severe cases can lead to organ failure and death if treatment is delayed.

The Robert Koch Institute has warned that malaria can be difficult to identify in Germany because it is uncommon and patients may not have a history of travelling to malaria-endemic countries.

"The lack of a travel history can lead to a delayed diagnosis. A delayed diagnosis increases the risk of a severe course of the diseases," the institute said.

The institute noted that Germany's malaria cases are almost exclusively linked to people who became infected while travelling in malaria-endemic areas.

The latest outbreak is not the first suspected case of airport-acquired malaria at Frankfurt. The Robert Koch Institute said the last reported case occurred at the airport in 2023.

Laboratory tests to establish the source of the current infections are expected to take several weeks.