A resident of the Schwanheim area of Frankfurt has died from malaria. Local authorities announced on Thursday that this incident is the third recorded death due to malaria following a recent outbreak of the disease associated with Frankfurt Airport.
Details of the deaths of malaria patients
Two airport employees also lost their lives to this disease in July and August. Malaria is a life-threatening disease transmitted by mosquitoes, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths annually, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This disease is uncommon in Germany.
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New malaria cases in Schwanheim
The Schwanheim area, located next to the airport, recorded two new cases of malaria on Tuesday of this week. Neither of these two infected individuals, who live in two different households, had previously traveled to malaria-risk areas and were not airport employees.
Health officials in Frankfurt extended their condolences to the families of the new victims and stated that the recent two cases in the Schwanheim area are attributed to an infected Anopheles mosquito that was transported to Germany by airplane. The German Public Health Institute, the Robert Koch Institute, has stated that malaria mosquitoes can fly between 5 to 10 kilometers. The recorded cases occurred approximately 5 kilometers from the airport.
Preventive measures and disease detection
Typically, malaria cases in Germany are related to individuals who contract the disease during foreign travels. However, in this case, the cases are directly linked to Frankfurt Airport. Malaria at the airport may occur when an infected mosquito is transported on a plane or in luggage, subsequently infecting someone on the plane, at the airport, or in the surrounding area.
The Robert Koch Institute considers such cases to be very rare, with the last recorded case at Frankfurt Airport reported in 2023. Since patients may not have traveled to malaria-risk areas, the diagnosis of the disease may occur later than usual.
Mosquito traps have been installed at the airport, and trapped mosquitoes are subjected to genetic analysis at the Tropical Medicine Institute in Antwerp to determine their species and source. However, Frankfurt Airport has urged its employees to see a doctor if symptoms arise.
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