Airport malaria remains possible but unlikely in Bavaria

Airport malaria can occur in Bavaria, but the risk of transmission remains low, BR reports. The unusual cases in Frankfurt have drawn attention to the possibility of infections near Munich Airport, which receives flights from around the world.

Six employees of airport operator Fraport contracted malaria in Frankfurt in July, and two of them died. Two further cases have since been reported outside the airport, in the Frankfurt district of Schwanheim. Another person has died.

Rare transmission route

Jürgen May, an epidemiologist specialising in tropical diseases at the University of Hamburg, said a similar outbreak at another airport was generally unlikely. Individual cases of airport malaria have occurred repeatedly in recent years, and may be increasing, but so many cases in a short period, including several deaths, were highly unusual.

Airport malaria occurs when a malaria-infected mosquito arrives in Germany aboard an aircraft or in freight and bites someone after landing. Malaria is generally transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes, which normally live in tropical and subtropical regions.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, 19 malaria cases since 2015 probably involved transmission in Germany. In 14 of those cases, transmission was suspected to have occurred near an airport. Across Europe, a study by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control identified 105 cases of airport malaria between 1969 and early 2024. It also recorded 32 cases of so-called baggage malaria.

May said there was currently no indication that the events in Frankfurt would soon be repeated at other airports. However, a risk existed wherever international flights arrived from malaria regions. Because infection could not be completely ruled out, doctors should consider malaria when treating people near airports who have unexplained fever.

Munich Airport has emergency procedures

Munich Airport already has procedures for such situations, according to Matthias Stempfle from its press office. Procedures for infectious disease incidents and biological hazards are based on Germany’s Infection Protection Act, international health regulations and relevant emergency and alarm plans.

If a specific infection is suspected, the airport works with the responsible specialist and health authorities, including the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety. The airport also monitors health risks and can inform employees and travellers in coordination with the authorities, including through posters, its intranet or its website.