Two German airport workers die of malaria from mosquito on plane

Two workers at Frankfurt Airport have died from malaria after being infected by mosquitoes believed to have arrived in Germany on aircraft from malaria-endemic regions, airport operator Fraport and city health authorities said on Wednesday.

The first death occurred in early July, the Frankfurt city health authority said, adding that the cause was established only after the patient died. The second death occurred in August, it said.

The health authority said a total of six workers had been infected with malaria tropica – the most dangerous form of the disease – at work. The other four people infected are now recovering well and have all been treated, the authority said.

In mid-July, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) had initially confirmed an outbreak of four malaria cases among airport workers.

“The individuals affected fell ill between July 4 and 6, 2026,” the RKI wrote in its Epidemiological Bulletin. “It is assumed that the infection was transmitted by an infected Anopheles mosquito imported by aircraft.”

The Anopheles mosquito is also known as the nail or marsh mosquito.