2 airport workers die of malaria from mosquito on plane in Germany, 4 others sickened

August 28, 2026 / 8:29 AM EDT / CBS/AFP

Two workers at Germany's Frankfurt airport who caught malaria from a mosquito thought to have arrived on a plane have died, the city's health authority said this week.

Airport officials had earlier said one employee had perished, with six workers infected.

The Robert Koch Institute said an imported Anopheles mosquito carried over by an aircraft was the likely cause.

The other four infected employees were hospitalized and receiving treatment, said an airport spokesman.

Traps have been installed at the airport and mosquitoes captured will be analyzed in a laboratory to determine their species and origin, BBC News reported.

"We have provided comprehensive information to all employees and encourage them to consult a doctor if they experience any symptoms," an airport spokesperson told the BBC.

According to the RKI, Germany's last outbreak of airport-based malaria was in 2023. The rarity of the condition means diagnosis can be delayed, increasing the chances of severe symptoms.

The institute said malaria in Germany almost exclusively affects long-haul travelers who were infected in malaria-endemic areas, and that malaria transmitted within a German airport is rare, the BBC reported.

"For the population of Frankfurt, the risk is…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/