adminThe target is to immunise 1,9 million children below the age of five years against polio and measles.
The children are also receiving Vitamin A supplement.
The exercise, which ends today, is being held at local clinics and other selected vaccination points such as schools and pre-schools.
In an interview yesterday, the ministry’s head of Epidemiology and Diseases Control, Dr Portia Manangazira, said the programme was progressing well in all the provinces with Bulawayo recording 30 percent of its target by the end of the first day.
“The programme has received an overwhelming response in all the country’s 10 provinces and it is progressing well. According to Monday reports, Bulawayo has vaccinated more than 30 percent of its target,” said Dr Manangazira.
“We are happy with the turnout of people as we visited some of the clinics and selected vaccination centres and saw mothers waiting patiently for their children to be vaccinated. We are optimistic that the country will be able to reach the target of 1,9 million children.”
Dr Manangazira said the ministry had not received any reports of people who were refusing or resisting immunisation.
“Mothers are coming forward with their children to be immunised and we have not received any reports of people or communities refusing to go with their children for immunisation.
“I would like to assure the public that we have sufficient drugs to cater for the targeted group.
“The vaccinations have also been seriously checked and verified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Health,” she said.
Meanwhile, most clinics and vaccination centres in Bulawayo were a hive of activity as mothers continued to turn out in large numbers to have their children vaccinated.
Some mothers who had their children vaccinated at Princess Margaret Clinic, which serves residents from the city centre and nearby eastern suburbs, said they had gone to the clinic as early as 6am so they could be attended to early.
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 could be prevented.
derick.khumalo