Malaria Alert in Germany: Frankfurt Airport Worker Dies After Suspected ‘Mosquito Arrives on Plane’; 5 InfectedIn an unusual case, an employee at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport has died from malaria, while five others have contracted the potentially serious infection after mosquitoes suspected of arriving on an aircraft were found at the airport.The airport operator, Fraport, confirmed the employee’s death and said the five other infected people are receiving medical treatment.Authorities have installed mosquito traps at the airport. Captured mosquitoes will be analysed in laboratories to determine their species and, where possible, establish their origin.Fraport said its focus is now on information and prevention. Employees have been advised to seek medical attention if they develop malaria-like symptoms and to inform doctors that they work at the airport.“Sadly, we must confirm that one employee has died as a result of the infection,” a Fraport spokesperson told the BBC.The company said it had provided information to employees and urged them to consult a doctor if they develop symptoms.What Happened?According to Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI), four airport employees developed malaria between 4 and 6 July. The institute said mosquitoes were brought to the airport by aircraft from a malaria-endemic region in July.Malaria transmission within Germany is extremely rare. The RKI says malaria cases in the country almost exclusively occur among people who have travelled to malaria-endemic areas.The absence of a travel history can make diagnosis more difficult. A delayed diagnosis can increase the risk of severe disease.The RKI also noted that the last airport-associated malaria case in Germany occurred at Frankfurt Airport in 2023.What Is Malaria?Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Common symptoms include fever, chills and headache. More severe malaria can cause confusion, seizures, difficulty breathing and other life-threatening complications. Symptoms generally begin around 10–15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito, although the timing can vary. People at increased risk of severe malaria include young children, pregnant women, travellers without immunity and people with HIV/AIDS. Malaria is not normally transmitted directly from person to person. However, transmission can occur through infected blood, including in rare circumstances through blood transfusion or contaminated needles. Global Malaria BurdenAccording to the World Health Organization's World Malaria Report 2025, an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths occurred worldwide in 2024 across 80 malaria-endemic countries. The WHO African Region accounted for approximately 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of malaria deaths in 2024. WHO estimates that malaria-prevention tools, including recommended vaccines and other interventions, helped avert approximately 170 million cases and 1 million deaths in 2024.The report noted that WHO approved the world’s first malaria vaccines in 2021, and 24 countries have now added them to their regular immunisation schedules. Despite the setbacks, there have been encouraging developments. So far, 47 countries and one territory have received malaria-free certification from WHO. Cabo Verde and Egypt were declared malaria-free in 2024, followed by Georgia, Suriname, and Timor-Leste in 2025.