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The target is to immunise 1,9 million children below the age of five against polio and measles.
The children are also receiving Vitamin A supplement.
The exercise, which ends on Friday, is being conducted at local clinics and other selected vaccination points such as schools and pre-schools.
There were long winding queues at most centres in the city.
An official at one of the clinics said they were doing their best to try and cope with the overwhelming numbers of children to be vaccinated.
The long queues were witnessed at Princess Margaret Clinic, Barham Green, Pelandaba, Tshabalala, Nkulumane 11 and Maqhawe Clinic in Nkulumane 12.
Mothers who spoke to Chronicle commended the Government for its efforts in reducing child mortality in the country.
“We have known these deadly diseases such as measles and polio for a long time and the Government has made great efforts in reducing deaths among children. I decided to come to the clinic on the first day because I do not want my son to miss this opportunity,” said Mrs Ntombenhle Tshuma from Tshabalala.
Ms Prisca Mkhwananzi from Nkulumane said it was important for children to be immunised.
“I do not see any reason why mothers should not bring their children for vaccination because it is for the sake of our children and there is no excuse because it is for free. All mothers, regardless of religion or tribe, should embrace this programme,” said Ms Mkhwananzi.
In an interview yesterday, the Ministry’s head of Epidemiology and Disease Control, Dr Portia Manangazira, said the ministry’s mandate was to make sure that all the children were vaccinated against all the child killer diseases.
“Vaccination is one of the most effective ways of reducing child mortality,” said Dr Manangazira.
During the week, the children will be vaccinated against measles and polio and also receive Vitamin A supplement.
Dr Manangazira said she was impressed with the high turnout. “The vaccination week kicked off on a high note as thousands of women, including those from the apostolic sects, brought their children for vaccination. We received a lot of support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Unicef and other non-governmental organisations as well as churches. I want to single out Japan for its contribution to the programme.
“We have also opened a command centre where all the vaccination centres will be communicating their progress in terms of statistics and other important information. We are also fortunate to be part of the Global Alliance for Vaccination Initiative, which allows procurement of high quality vaccines through Unicef,” said Dr Manangazira.
She said although it was rare for children to react adversely to the vaccines, it was important for mothers to report any reactions to the nearest health centres.
“We give vaccines to the children so that we provoke their bodies to produce strong anti-bodies. As a result the vaccines cause the children’s temperatures to rise, an indication that the body is responding.
“The side effects are very limited but I would like to urge parents to monitor their children after the vaccinations and report any severe reactions to the nearest health centre. It is also important for mothers to breastfeed their children,” she said.
The Government last year surpassed its five million immunisation target for children below the age of 15 by 200 000. According to statistics from Unicef, at least 100 children die every day in Zimbabwe from diseases that can be prevented.
Online Reporter