Published: 16:56 BST, 28 August 2026 | Updated: 21:52 BST, 28 August 2026
A second airport worker in Germany has died of malaria following an outbreak among employees, health officials have announced.
Six workers at the Frankfurt Airport contracted the mosquito-borne infection in early July, most likely after a mosquito traveled to Germany on an airplane, the airport's operator, Fraport, said this week.
Four of the six patients have since recovered, according to Fraport spokesman Andreas Schopf. It is unclear when the two deaths occurred.
Malaria is typically found in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, rarely appearing in Europe or the US.
Officials said the outbreak in Frankfurt Airport is due to airport malaria, which occurs when people become infected by mosquitoes carried by planes from regions where the disease is prevalent.
It's unclear from where the mosquito or mosquitoes that spread the infection originated.
The Frankfurt Public Health Office said there is no risk to the general public or to people working in or traveling from the airport.
Malaria is not spread through human contact but rather from bites from Anopheles mosquitoes.
Two employees at Frankfurt Airport in Germany (pictured above) have died from malaria, health officials announced
Schopf said mosquito traps have been placed at the airport and mosquitoes caught in them will be analyzed by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium to determine their species and origin.
'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,' he said, as reported by The New York Times.
'We remain in regular contact with the responsible authorities to ensure that any further measures can be coordinated and implemented at an early stage.'
Health officials said five of the infected people first showed symptoms early last month, and the sixth case was reported in mid-August.
No other details about the sickened or dead individuals were released.
