Third Death Linked to Suspected Airport Malaria in Germany

Three people have died from malaria after an infected mosquito was reportedly carried aboard a flight to Germany.

Several others were taken to hospital during a rare outbreak of the tropical disease linked to flights arriving in Frankfurt, The Sun reported.

The departure points of the flights have not been disclosed.

The latest victim was a resident of Schwanheim, north of Frankfurt Airport, who died recently. An airport worker also died from malaria in August. Neither person had traveled to a region where the disease is endemic.

Another German resident contracted malaria, a disease transmitted only through the bite of an infected mosquito and not through person-to-person contact.

“Both individuals had become infected with the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum, even though they had not traveled to a malaria-endemic region and had not worked at the airport,” city officials said.

The unusual event, known as “airport malaria,” can occur when an infected mosquito is trapped on an aircraft or inside luggage, transported to a malaria-free region and then bites a local resident.

Airport officials placed traps around the site in July as part of efforts to contain the outbreak, The Sun reported.

Germany’s Robert Koch Institute, the country’s public health and disease-control agency, said airport workers fell ill with malaria between July 4 and July 6.

Fraport, the company that operates Frankfurt Airport, said six employees in total contracted the disease, according to The Express.

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