Eight people are known to have contracted malaria in the vicinity of Frankfurt Airport in central Germany since July; three of them have died.
asserted
three → know → them
Those affected are mostly employees of the airport operator Fraport.
asserted
Those → affect → operator
The Frankfurt Public Health Department believes the outbreak is due to "airport malaria," which occurs when a female Anopheles mosquito carrying the malaria parasite travels by aircraft to a country where the disease is not common from one where it is, bites a person and infects their red blood cells.
asserted
it → believe → cells
"We are dealing with a very rare occurrence, not a new frequent disease in Germany," said Achim Hörauf, the director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology at Bonn's University Hospital (UKB), in a press release.
asserted
Hörauf → deal → release
The last documented case of airport malaria in Germany before the current ones was in 2023, according to the Epidemiologisches Bulletin of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), an online journal that regularly provides information on infectious diseases and public health.
uncertain
that → document → diseases
Normally, those with the disease in Germany were infected elsewhere and brought it back during a long-haul trip.
But a mosquito can make its way to Germany as a "stowaway" if it was trapped in a suitcase or in clothing.
asserted
it → infect → clothing
Hörauf said that under certain circumstances, it might be able to survive in warmer areas of an airport.
uncertain
it → say → airport
According to a UKB press release, the cases in Frankfurt involve malaria tropica, which is considered to be the most dangerous and potentially life-threatening form of malaria.
uncertain
which → accord → malaria
To contract the disease, a person needs to be bitten by a female anopheles mosquito infected with the Plasmodium falciparum parasite.
asserted
person → contract → parasite
This pathogen passes to the human and then attacks the red blood vessels.
asserted
pathogen → pass → vessels
"Simply put, it can lead to many small blockages in the blood vessels," explained Hörauf.
asserted
Hörauf → put → vessels
"Depending on which organ is affected, various serious complications can arise.
asserted
complications → depend → ?
Fluid can accumulate in the lungs, or neurological damage can result if the blood vessels of the brain are affected.
asserted
vessels → accumulate → brain
About 20% of those affected die if the disease is left untreated.
asserted
disease → affect → those
"If a diagnosis is made in time, there can be targeted treatment," Hörauf said.
asserted
Hörauf → make → time
"If the disease is overlooked, however, it can very quickly take a severe turn."
asserted
it → overlook → turn
At first, symptoms are not specific, resembling those of the flu: sudden high fever, chills, headaches and muscle pain.
asserted
symptoms → resemble → flu
Frankfurt authorities tell public to seek advice in case of symptoms
asserted
authorities → tell → symptoms
The Frankfurt Public Health Department has advised anybody who lives or works near Frankfurt Airport to seek medical attention immediately if they experience any such symptoms.
asserted
they → advise → symptoms
Rapid diagnostic tests can provide evidence of malaria in human blood and then a blood test can help to confirm this.
asserted
test → provide → this
The RKI says treatment should take place at a hospital, which has expertise in tropical medicine.
asserted
which → say → medicine
As summer comes to an end and temperatures cool in Germany, particularly at night, the conditions are becoming less favorable for mosquitoes and malaria parasites.
However, experts warn that there could still be other cases of malaria in Germany despite the cooler weather.
uncertain
experts → come → weather
Plasmodium falciparum has an incubation period of seven to 15 days, so more than two weeks can pass between a mosquito transmitting malaria to somebody by biting them and the onset of symptoms.
asserted
mosquito → have → symptoms
According to Hörauf, the biggest challenge is to ensure that people think malaria could be a possibility even if they have not traveled abroad.
uncertain
they → accord → Hörauf
This article was translated from German.
asserted
article → translate → German
The Aporia
