2 Frankfurt Airport workers die in rare malaria outbreak
What's new: Officials linked 6 infections to mosquitoes believed to have arrived on aircraft, and lab tests could take weeks.
Two workers at Frankfurt Airport have died after a rare cluster of malaria infections among airport employees, with six men in total falling ill, German health officials said. Authorities believe the cases were caused by infected Anopheles mosquitoes carried in by aircraft, a phenomenon known as airport malaria. The other infected workers were being treated, with one report saying four had recovered. Frankfurt public health officials and airport operator Fraport have installed mosquito traps, and captured insects will be sent for analysis, including testing in Antwerp, Belgium, to identify their species and likely origin. Officials said the risk to the wider public in Frankfurt remains very low because malaria does not spread person to person.