Health

Frankfurt Airport worker dies from malaria in rare outbreak linked to aircraft mosquito

Public health authorities suspect infected mosquitoes brought in on an airplane caused six cases of airport malaria among non-travelers.

Updated Aug 26, 2026 · 14:46 UTC2 reports

The short version

A Frankfurt Airport employee died after contracting malaria in a rare cluster of six cases among airport workers who had not traveled to malaria-endemic regions.
Health authorities believe the infections were caused by an Anopheles mosquito imported on an aircraft.
The remaining five infected employees are receiving medical treatment while authorities investigate the source.

A Frankfurt Airport employee died from a malaria infection, as confirmed by airport operator Fraport after notification from health authorities.[BBC News · Deutsche Welle]
Six airport workers in total contracted malaria in connection with the outbreak, with affected individuals falling ill between July 4 and July 6.[BBC News · Deutsche Welle]
Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported that none of the infected employees had traveled to a malaria-risk region, leading authorities to suspect transmission by an infected mosquito brought into Germany on an aircraft.[BBC News · Deutsche Welle]
The remaining five infected employees are undergoing medical treatment.[BBC News · Deutsche Welle]
Mosquito traps have been deployed at Frankfurt Airport, with captured mosquitoes being sent to the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp for genetic analysis to identify species and origin.[BBC News · Deutsche Welle]
According to the RKI, domestic malaria transmission in Germany is very rare, with the last recorded case at Frankfurt Airport occurring in 2023.[BBC News · Deutsche Welle]

The precise origin and flight route of the mosquito responsible for the infections have not been established pending laboratory test results.[BBC News · Deutsche Welle]