In Turmi Woreda, Southern Ethiopia, Bethelhem Kuma vividly remembers the terrifying moment her baby girl, Marta, fell gravely ill. At just eight months old, Marta was scorching with fever, had vomiting, became restless, and unable to sleep. Bethelhem believed it was just a common cold and cared for her at home for three days. But when Marta’s condition worsened and she nearly collapsed, a concerned neighbor suggested it might be malaria—a diagnosis that came too late to prevent her suffering.

“I fainted when I realized it was malaria,” Bethelhem recalls. “My neighbor had to help me take Marta to the hospital because I was too weak to do it myself.”

Marta received treatment immediately. Now, at ten months old, she has received her first dose of the newly introduced malaria vaccine. Bethelhem was so eager to protect her child that she arrived at the health center an hour early, determined not to miss the opportunity.

“I was so excited when I heard about the malaria vaccination,” she says. “I’m very happy my child received it, and I will encourage others in my community to bring their children too.”

Alongside the vaccine, Bethelhem also received a long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net (ITN), part of an integrated malaria prevention effort. In this initial phase, over 91,000 children will benefit from the vaccine, which is administered in four doses at 6, 7, 9, and 15 months of age.

Malaria remains a major public health challenge in Ethiopia. About 75% of the country’s land is malaria-endemic, and 69% of the population is at risk. The disease peaks after the rainy seasons—between September to December and April to May—coinciding with critical agricultural periods, affecting productivity in addition to causing illness and death.

The introduction of the malaria vaccine, combined with other interventions like ITNs, offers new hope to families like Bethelhem’s. It marks a turning point in Ethiopia’s fight against malaria—ensuring that no more babies have to suffer like Marta did.