Two employees at Frankfurt Airport died from a rare malaria outbreak this summer, most likely after a mosquito traveled to Germany on an airplane, the airport’s operator said this week.
Six employees have contracted the disease since early July, Andreas Schopf, a spokesman for the airport’s operator, Fraport, said in an email on Thursday. Four have since recovered, he added.
It was unclear when the two employees died.
Such cases are known as airport malaria, in which people are infected by mosquitoes that have been carried by planes from regions where the disease is prevalent.
There was no risk to the general public or to people working in or traveling from the airport, according to the Frankfurt Public Health Office. Malaria is not spread through human contact but rather through infected mosquitoes, said Peter Tinnemann, the director of the public health office.
The origin of the mosquito or mosquitoes that spread the infection was not clear.
Mosquito traps have been placed at Frankfurt Airport, Mr. Schopf said. Mosquitoes caught in the traps will analyzed by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, to determine their species and origins.
“While we are still investigating the origin of the mosquitoes found in our traps, it is most likely that they were transported to Frankfurt by airplane,” Mr. Schopf said.
Five of the infected people first showed symptoms early last month. A sixth case was reported in mid-August, officials said.
“We remain in regular contact with the responsible authorities to ensure that any further measures can be coordinated and implemented at an early stage,” Mr. Schopf said.
It is not the first time the disease has been detected in Frankfurt’s airport. In 2019, two male airport workers had severe cases. In 2022, three employees at the airport were diagnosed.
Still, officials said, airport malaria is exceedingly unusual.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite and is widespread in many tropical and subtropical areas. Locally acquired cases outside of those regions are rare.
In the United States, malaria was eliminated in the early 1950s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection. Still, each year, about 2,000 people return home from international travel with malaria infections.
After 20 years without a report of a locally acquired case in the United States, nine were reported to the C.D.C. in Arkansas, Florida and Texas in 2023.
Tatiana Firsova contributed reporting from Berlin.
