By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-18 05:54:14 | Updated at 2026-09-18 10:30:00
4 hours ago
A third person has now died in a rare malaria outbreak after a mosquito is believed to have become trapped on a plane arriving at Frankfurt Airport.
The individual, who died in hospital, had neither worked at the airport nor visited any region where malaria is common.
Two airport employees had already lost their lives to the disease in August.
On Tuesday, two further malaria cases were identified in the Schwanheim area, raising fresh alarm about the spread of the infection beyond the airport itself.
City officials confirmed in a statement: "Both individuals had become infected with the malaria-causing parasite, even though they had not travelled to a malaria-endemic region and had not worked at the airport."
Germany's Robert Koch Institute, the agency responsible for disease control and public health, has pointed to an imported Anopheles mosquito transported by an aircraft as the most probable source of the outbreak.
According to the institute, the first airport workers fell ill after contracting the disease between July 4 and 6.
Multiple people required emergency hospital treatment in July as the rare outbreak first came to light.
Two Frankfurt Airport employees had already lost their lives to the disease in August
Authorities responded by deploying mosquito traps near Frankfurt Airport to contain the spread.
The phenomenon is classified as airport malaria - sometimes referred to as suitcase malaria - and occurs when an infected mosquito becomes trapped aboard an aircraft or inside luggage, is carried to a malaria-free area, and then bites someone locally.
Because the condition is so uncommon, there is a significant risk that diagnosis is delayed, which raises the likelihood of patients developing severe symptoms.
Fraport, the company that operates Frankfurt Airport, previously said: "A total of six employees have contracted a form of malaria known as airport malaria in connection with their work at the airport.
The phenomenon -also know as suitcase malaria - occurs when an infected mosquito is trapped inside an aircraft or luggage
"Sadly, we must confirm that one employee has died as a result of the infection."
The firm added: "We have provided comprehensive information to all employees and encourage them to consult a doctor if they experience any symptoms."
Officials subsequently confirmed that a second infected employee had also died.
Typical symptoms of malaria include high fever, sweating, chills, headaches, stomach pain, appetite loss and muscular aches.
Typical symptoms of malaria include high fever, sweating, chills, headaches, stomach pain, appetite loss and muscular aches
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Western Europe eliminated the disease during the 1970s, and in the decades since, nearly every recorded case has involved travellers returning from countries where malaria remains widespread.
However, in parts of the world where the infection is endemic, malaria ranks among the deadliest diseases on the planet, with sub-Saharan Africa bearing the heaviest burden.
Effective treatments are available, and patients who receive an early diagnosis generally recover fully.
The latest fatality and the emergence of new cases among people with no connection to the airport or to international travel suggest the infected mosquito - or potentially others - may have spread further into the surrounding community than initially feared.
