Six employees of the Frankfurt Airport operator have contracted malaria, three of whom have died. According to the Frankfurt Public Health Office, this outbreak occurred due to "airport malaria," which happens when female Anopheles mosquitoes carrying the malaria parasite are transported by airplane to a country where the disease is not prevalent.
Characteristics of malaria
Achim Horaf, director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology at Bonn University Hospital (UKB), stated: "We are facing a very rare occurrence, and this disease is not continuously prevalent in Germany." The last recorded case of malaria in Germany before these cases was in 2023. Typically, individuals who contract this disease have been infected during long trips to endemic areas and then brought it back to Germany.
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Risks and symptoms of the disease
Mosquitoes can arrive in Germany as "hidden travelers" through luggage or clothing. Horaf explained that under certain conditions, these mosquitoes may be able to survive in the warmer areas of airports. The recorded cases in Frankfurt include tropical malaria, which is the most dangerous and potentially deadly type of malaria. To contract this disease, an individual must be bitten by a female Anopheles mosquito infected with the Plasmodium falciparum parasite.
Horaf further explained: "This disease can lead to small blockages in blood vessels, and depending on which organ is affected, various serious complications can arise." Without treatment, about 20 percent of those infected may die. Initial symptoms of this disease include sudden fever, chills, headache, and muscle pain. If detected in a timely manner, targeted treatment can be provided.
The Frankfurt Public Health Office has advised residents and workers near Frankfurt Airport to see a doctor if they experience any similar symptoms. Rapid diagnostic tests can confirm the presence of malaria in human blood, and treatment should be conducted in hospitals that specialize in tropical medicine.
As summer comes to an end and temperatures drop in Germany, conditions for mosquitoes and malaria parasites become less favorable, but experts warn that there may be other cases of malaria in Germany. Horaf stated that the main challenge is that people need to be aware that malaria could be a possibility even if they have not traveled abroad.
