German airport workers die from malaria caught from plane-riding mosquito

Published On 26 Aug 202626 Aug 2026.

Key points

• The mosquitoes caught will be transferred to the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium for genetic tests to find out more regarding their origin.
• As the most probable source of the infection, germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) points to an imported Anopheles mosquito, probable carried in on an aircraft.
• The RKI notes the country's last airport-linked malaria outbreak was in 2023.
• The institute continued that the rarity can, even so, work against patients, since doctors may not immediately suspect the disease.
• The remaining four infected employees are being treated in hospital, an airport spokesman remarked, adding that mosquito traps have now been installed on site.

Two Frankfurt airport workers have died after contracting malaria from a mosquito believed to have hitched a ride on an incoming flight, according to the city's health authority.

Airport authorities had initially noted one death among six infected employees. The toll rose to two on Wednesday.

Malaria cases are rare in Germany. The RKI notes the country's last airport-linked malaria outbreak was in 2023.

Meanwhile, the institute continued that the rarity can, even so, work against patients, since doctors may not immediately suspect the disease. It delays diagnosis and raises risks of severe illness.

Meanwhile, the remaining four infected employees are being treated in hospital, an airport spokesman remarked, adding that mosquito traps have now been installed on site.

For context, the mosquitoes caught will be transferred to the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium for genetic tests to find out more regarding their origin.

Malaria is a serious, mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by microscopic parasites. It is spread through Anopheles mosquitoes and can cause symptoms such as nausea, headache and intense waves of fever and chills. The disease causes hundreds of thousands of deaths a year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.

There are treatments if infected patients detect the disease early enough, and they usually create a complete recovery.

For now, german airport workers die from malaria caught from plane remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.