Two German airport workers die of malaria after ‘mosquito arrives on plane’

两名德国机场员工因“蚊子随飞机抵达”感染疟疾身亡

Two Frankfurt Airport workers have died of malaria after a rare outbreak led to six employees contracting the serious infection spread by mosquitoes. It is believed the mosquitoes arrived at Germany’s busiest airport on a plane, according to German public health officials, triggering an outbreak which was first detected in July. A spokesperson for airport operator Fraport told the BBC an employee had died as a result of the infection, while public health officials said later on Wednesday that two of the affected individuals had died.

法兰克福机场两名员工因感染疟疾身亡，此前该机场发生了一起罕见的疫情，导致六名员工感染了这种由蚊子传播的严重疾病。据德国公共卫生官员称，这些蚊子被认为是通过飞机抵达德国最繁忙的机场，从而引发了这起最早于七月发现的疫情。机场运营商法兰克福机场集团（Fraport）的一位发言人告诉英国广播公司（BBC），有一名员工因感染死亡；而公共卫生官员在周三晚些时候表示，受影响的个体中已有两人死亡。

Traps have been installed at the airport and mosquitoes captured will be analysed in a laboratory to determine their species and origin. “We have provided comprehensive information to all employees and encourage them to consult a doctor if they experience any symptoms,” the Fraport spokesperson told the BBC.

机场已安装了捕蚊器，捕获的蚊子将被送往实验室进行分析，以确定其物种和来源。法兰克福机场集团发言人告诉BBC：“我们已向所有员工提供了全面的信息，并鼓励他们在出现任何症状时及时就医。”

The outbreak is being investigated by the Frankfurt Public Health Department. The BBC understands that six male airport workers in different jobs and different areas of the airport were infected, and officials are analysing blood samples to determine if they were infected by one mosquito or six different mosquitoes.

此次疫情正由法兰克福公共卫生部门进行调查。据BBC了解，六名在机场不同岗位和区域工作的男性员工受到了感染，官员们正在分析血液样本，以确定他们是被同一只蚊子还是六只不同的蚊子叮咬所致。

Later on Wednesday, public health officials in Frankfurt sent a letter to media outlets which said two of the affected individuals had died. “For the population of Frankfurt, the risk is considered very, very low. The disease is not transmissible from person to person but is always transmitted by mosquitoes,” the letter added.

周三晚些时候，法兰克福公共卫生官员向媒体发布了一封信函，确认受影响者中已有两人死亡。信中补充道：“对于法兰克福的民众而言，风险被认为非常、非常低。该疾病不会在人与人之间传播，而是始终通过蚊子传播。”

It said laboratory tests to determine the source of the infections were not expected to be available for several weeks. It was reported in July that the outbreak involved four infected workers.

信中还提到，确定感染源的实验室检测结果预计需要几周时间才能出炉。七月份曾有报道称，当时疫情涉及四名受感染员工。

The Robert Koch Institute - a German federal government agency and research institute for disease control and public health - previously said the four employees fell ill between 4 and 6 July and the mosquitoes were brought in by plane. The institute said malaria in Germany almost exclusively affects long-haul travellers who were infected in malaria-endemic areas, and that malaria transmitted within a German airport is rare.

罗伯特·科赫研究所（德国联邦政府下属的疾病控制与公共卫生研究机构）此前曾表示，这四名员工是在7月4日至6日之间发病的，蚊子是由飞机带入的。该研究所指出，德国的疟疾病例几乎只出现在在疟疾流行地区感染的长途旅行者身上，在德国机场内部传播疟疾的情况非常罕见。

“The lack of a travel history can lead to a delayed diagnosis. A delayed diagnosis increases the risk of a severe course of the diseases,” the institute said in its epidemiological bulletin. The last case of airport malaria was in 2023 also at Frankfurt Airport, it added.

该研究所在其流行病学公报中表示：“缺乏旅行史可能导致诊断延迟。而诊断延迟会增加疾病严重化的风险。”该研究所补充说，上一次机场疟疾病例发生在2023年，同样是在法兰克福机场。

Malaria is a disease spread by some types of mosquitoes biting humans, and is mostly found in tropical countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The infection, which is preventable and curable, is caused by a parasite and does not spread from person to person. However symptoms can be mild or life-threatening.

根据世界卫生组织（WHO）的说法，疟疾是一种通过某些蚊子叮咬人类传播的疾病，主要存在于热带国家。这种感染是可以预防和治愈的，由寄生虫引起，不会在人与人之间传播。然而，其症状可能表现为轻微，也可能危及生命。