But as Cameroon launched the world's first routine vaccine program against the mosquito-borne disease, there were concerns that only a few people had turned up for shots.
Health workers in some centers said parents had not been adequately informed about the vaccine, and some were afraid to consent to their children receiving it.
At the Japoma District Hospital in Douala, Audrey Stella is one of those who declined the vaccine for her child.
"The reason I didn't agree is because I wasn't made aware. I didn't know it existed. I think we haven't talked about it."
Assako Nadesh is the head nurse at Japoma.
"I would have liked more noise to be made about it so that even in vaccination centers they talk about it more. When mothers are not informed, they are afraid."
Malaria kills nearly half a million children under the age of five in Africa every year.
The battle against the disease has also been hindered in recent years by issues including disruption linked to the global health crisis.
Cases rose by around 5 million year-on-year in 2022, according to the World Health Organization.
At a briefing on Monday, health experts said the roll-out was accompanied by extensive community outreach in a bid to tackle vaccine hesitancy.
The shot being deployed is the WHO-approved RTS,S vaccine, developed by British drugmaker GSK.
Another vaccine developed by Oxford University, R21, could be launched in May or June, according to Gavi.
The global vaccine alliance also said that 19 other countries are planning to roll out the routine vaccine program this year.
However, some experts have expressed skepticism about the potential impact of the vaccines.
They say attention and funding should not be drawn away from the wider fight against the age-old killer and the use of established preventative tools like bed nets.
Nevertheless, the head of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said having two vaccines for malaria will help close the "huge" gap between demand and supply and could save tens of thousands of lives.
Or, as put simply by Mohammed Abdulaziz of the Africa Centres for Disease Control: "For a long time, we have been waiting for a day like this."
