A resident of Frankfurt’s Schwanheim district has died of malaria, local authorities said on Thursday. The death is the third associated with a recent cluster linked to Frankfurt Airport, according to the authorities and DW.
Two airport workers died from the disease in July and August. The latest death occurred after two additional malaria cases were registered in Schwanheim on Tuesday, the report said. The two infected people live in separate households, had not traveled to a malaria-endemic area and do not work at the airport.
Frankfurt health authorities said the two newest cases were linked to an infected Anopheles mosquito that arrived in Germany by plane. The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s public health institute, said mosquitoes capable of transmitting malaria can travel between five and 10 kilometers. The infections were recorded about five kilometers from the airport.
Malaria is uncommon in Germany, where cases normally involve people who contracted the disease while abroad. DW reported that so-called airport malaria can occur when an infected mosquito is transported on an aircraft or in luggage and later infects someone on board, at the airport or in nearby areas.
The Robert Koch Institute describes such infections as very rare. DW said the last documented case at Frankfurt Airport was recorded in 2023. Because affected people may not have traveled to a malaria-risk area, diagnosis can be delayed.
Mosquito traps have been placed at the airport, and captured insects are being genetically analyzed at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp to establish their species and origin. Frankfurt Airport has urged employees to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms.