Frankfurt Airport Malaria Deaths Prompt Health Response in Germany

German health officials are seeking to reassure the public after two workers at Frankfurt airport, the country's biggest airport, died of malaria. Mosquito traps have been set up at the site and a mosquito monitoring process is under way, while a detailed investigation is being conducted to clarify how the workers contracted the disease. Since last month, six people are known to have caught malaria tropica – the most dangerous form of the disease – in connection with their work at the airport.

Of the two who died, one began getting sick at the start of July and the other in mid-August. The four other infected people have been treated in hospital and are now out of danger, according to Frankfurt's public health department. Letters have been sent to all airport workers to raise awareness about symptoms and urge vigilance.

Doctors are being asked to watch out for patients with unexplained fever who work in and around the airport. In a statement on its website, the health department acknowledged the existence of "airport malaria", where mosquitoes from malaria-endemic areas are transported in flight cabins or in baggage holds.