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Rare ‘airport malaria’ outbreak leaves 3 dead near this international travel hub
FOX Weather • • health
Key Points:
- Three people have died in a rare "airport malaria" outbreak near Frankfurt Airport, Germany, linked to an infected mosquito transported via airplane.
- The victims, including an airport worker and two residents with no recent travel to malaria-endemic regions, were infected with Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite causing malaria.
- German authorities set mosquito traps around the airport in July to contain the outbreak, which occurred between July 4 and July 6 according to the Robert Koch Institute.
- "Airport malaria" occurs when infected mosquitoes are accidentally transported to malaria-free areas and transmit the disease locally; malaria itself is not spread person-to-person.
- Malaria remains common in tropical regions, with nearly 290 million infections and over 400,000 deaths annually worldwide; preventive measures include vaccines, protective clothing, insecticides, and prophylactic medicine.
