The Ghana Health Service on Thursday commenced a three-day national poliomyelitis (polio) immunisation programme, to protect children and pregnant mothers against the disease.

The programme is to create awareness on the need to immunise children from zero to five years against polio, a deadly disease that affects children.

Madam Ruby Agoe, a Superintendent Community Health Nurse at the Ridge Hospital Out- Patients Department at Adabraka in Accra, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the immunisation programme is done every six months.

She said every child who receives the vaccine has the little finger of their right hand marked with an indelible ink, to prevent double vaccination.

She explained that houses with the inscription (Y1) means that every child within the specified age range has been immunized while those with Y1 without the circle means that the children are yet to be covered.

Madam Agoe said Vitamin A supplements are to be given to children from six months to five years, to improve on their visual ability and facilitate their ability to learn.

In an interview with GNA, Madam Celestina Larbi, a mother who brought her child to the hospital for immunisation said the process is important because it helps to build the immune system of children against the disease.

Ms Ivy Okyerewaa, health personnel of the Ussher Polyclinic in Accra, said awareness about polio immunisation had improved tremendously and pregnant, and nursing mothers are responding favourably to the vaccination.

She called for publicity to be made through the mass media, to sensitise people on the on-going nationwide exercise.

Some pregnant and nursing mothers, however, told GNA that they were not aware of the on-going exercise.

According the Ghana Health Service, the nation had not witnessed a single case of polio over the last five years.