Two employees at Frankfurt Airport have died after contracting malaria, confirmed Fraport, the company that operates the German airport. A total of six staff members were infected. The four other affected individuals have recovered. The leading hypothesis is that the outbreak was caused by an Anopheles mosquito that arrived on a flight from a region where the disease is present.
Following the discovery of these cases, Fraport recommended that its employees inform their doctor of their workplace if they experience any symptoms. This precaution should facilitate rapid diagnosis, as malaria is rarely considered initially in someone who has not traveled to an endemic area. The disease can cause high fever, chills, headaches, and nausea, but early treatment generally leads to a full recovery.
A particularly rare form of transmission
"Airport malaria" occurs when an infected mosquito survives a flight before biting a person in or near an airport. While rare, this can delay diagnosis because those affected do not typically have the travel history associated with the infection. Several employees in Frankfurt fell ill between July 4 and 6, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
Mosquito traps have now been installed at the airport to assess the possible presence of other insects carrying the parasite. The captured specimens will be analyzed by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp to determine their species and origin. Health authorities are thus seeking to confirm the source of the infections and prevent the emergence of new cases.
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