Third person dies from malaria linked to Frankfurt Airport after 'mosquito got trapped on plane'
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By OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
A third person has died from malaria after an infected mosquito is believed to have got trapped on a plane at Frankfurt Airport.
The victim, who was living in Schwanheim, a district north of the airport, passed away in hospital.
They were not an airport employee nor had they travelled to a malaria-riddled region.
In August, two workers at Frankfurt Airport also died of the disease.
Two new cases of malaria were reported in the Schwanheim area on Tuesday.
A statement from city officials said: 'Both individuals had become infected with the malaria-causing parasite, even though they had not travelled to a malaria-endemic region and had not worked at the airport.'
Several people were rushed to hospital in July following the rare outbreak of the disease.
The Robert Koch Institute – a German federal government agency and research institute for disease control and public health – said an imported Anopheles mosquito carried over by an aircraft was the likely cause.
Mosquito traps were set up around Frankfurt Airport in a bid to try and control the malaria outbreak.
A second person has died from malaria after an infected mosquito reportedly got trapped on a plane at Frankfurt Airport (file image)
The Robert Koch Institute said the employees contracted the disease between July 4 and 6.
Airport malaria – also known as suitcase malaria or Odyssean malaria – is defined as when an infected mosquito becomes stuck on a plane or in luggage which then transports it to a malaria-free region and subsequently bites a person there.
The rarity of the condition means diagnosis can be delayed, increasing the chances of severe symptoms.
Airport operator Fraport previously said: 'A total of six employees have contracted a form of malaria known as airport malaria in connection with their work at the airport.
'Sadly, we must confirm that one employee has died as a result of the infection.
'We have provided comprehensive information to all employees and encourage them to consult a doctor if they experience any symptoms.'
Officials later added that two people who had been infected had died.
A high temperature, sweats, chills and headaches, as well as tummy pain, a loss of appetite and muscle pains are all tell-tale signs of malaria.
The disease was eradicated in western Europe in the 1970s and since then almost all cases have been in travellers returning from countries where the bug is still rife.
But in areas where the infection is prevalent, it is one of the world's biggest killers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Treatments exist and patients caught early with the disease usually make a complete recovery.
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