Malaria Outbreak Kills 2 Airport Workers in Germany After Mosquito Sneaks Aboard Plane

A plane’s accidental mosquito cargo seems to have caused a deadly outbreak of malaria in an unexpected place—Germany. Officials with the Frankfurt Public Health Department provided updates on the unusual outbreak this week. At least six workers at the Frankfurt Airport contracted the infection, two of whom subsequently died. Officials are still trying to determine the exact origin of the cases and have set mosquito traps at the airport. Airport malaria Malaria is caused by several species of the single-celled parasite Plasmodium. When an infected mosquito transmits the disease to a person, the parasites will first invade certain tissues, reproduce, and then infect red blood cells. Its symptoms usually include fatigue, chills, and other flu-like illness, but the infection can sometimes turn life-threatening. The outbreak was actually first identified in early July. To date, six workers with different positions and in different areas are known to have been infected, according to the BBC. On Wednesday, the Frankfurt Public Health Department reported that two of these people had died. A wayward passenger Malaria remains a major public health threat in much of the world, but it is not endemic in Germany. So the most likely scenario is that this outbreak was seeded by mosquitoes from an endemic area that had snunk on board and survived the journey to the airport long enough to infect humans. Malaria is transmitted by the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito. But at this point, it’s not clear whether only one mosquito or more spread these infections. Officials are still awaiting blood test results that should identify any similarities between the cases, which might take several more weeks. Officials will also test any mosquitoes captured by the traps laid at the airport. It is possible for imported mosquitoes and travel-related cases to kickstart local outbreaks if infected people are then bitten by local Anopheles species capable of carrying the parasite. And there have been recent instances of that happening in places like the U.S. That said, the general public in the area should have little to fear, officials say. “For the population of Frankfurt, the risk is considered very, very low. The disease is not transmissible from person to person but is always transmitted by mosquitoes,” the department said in a letter detailing the outbreak released Wednesday. The Frankfurt Airport has advised its employees to remain vigilant and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms that could be malaria.