Critical action needed as malaria resists key drug

Scientists are warning that urgent action is needed to prevent the spread of drug-resistant malaria in Africa, where resistance to artemisinin has surged, with levels rising from under 1% to over 20% in three years. This trend threatens millions of lives, recalling the past crisis when resistance to chloroquine caused malaria deaths to triple from 1980 to 2004.

A group of 28 malaria experts from 10 countries has called for action in *Science*. They recommend adding a third drug to artemisinin therapies, expanding the use of insecticide-treated bed nets and long-acting insecticides, targeting malaria vaccines to all ages in affected areas, supporting community health workers, and ensuring rapid data sharing on resistant strains. Resistant parasites are now responsible for over 10% of malaria cases in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania.