The malaria parasite may be gaining resistance against artemisinin, the drug most often used to try and save children with mosquito-borne malaria.

Scientists have detected resistance to artemisinin, a key malaria drug, for the first time among children in Africa with severe disease. The continent accounts for 95% of all deaths from malaria globally, and children are the most badly affected.

Malaria remains a leading cause of death for children under five in sub-Saharan Africa, with around 450,000 young children dying each year. If resistance to artemisinin grows, it could become even harder to treat and control this deadly disease, putting more children at risk.

An international team of researchers has uncovered evidence of partial resistance to artemisinin derivatives — the primary treatment for malaria — in young children with severe malaria.