Tunisia is far from the global target for breastfeeding. As National Breastfeeding Week takes place (November 1 to 8, 2025), health authorities are sounding the alarm: only 18% of mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies until six months, a rate three times lower than the global average of 48% (according to MICS 2023 data).
This situation is all the more critical since, according to certain analyses, the rate could even fall below the threshold. 10% in certain regions, highlighting the urgency of the crisis.
Through a series of awareness-raising actions and scientific days, the Basic Health Care Directorate is trying to revive a practice in clear decline.
A busy program to “revive” the practice
The mobilization is national: conferences, workshops and training days were organized in Monastir, Mahdia, Ben Arous and Tunis, in partnership with the Tunisian Association of Pediatricians and the National Institute of Nutrition.
“Breastfeeding should be exclusive for up to six months, then continue in addition to normal nutrition for up to two years, in accordance with WHO recommendations and the precepts of Islam. »
Breast milk, a natural shield
Colostrum, this first milk rich in antibodies, is nicknamed “night gold” by experts. It protects the newborn against infections from the first days, playing the role of a real immune shield.
“No artificial milk can reproduce the complexity of breast milk, adapted to each age and need of the child,” insists Dr. Bouaziz.
It also recalls a crucial safety point: it is strictly not recommended to give honey before the age of one year, due to the risk of botulism.
Fight against aesthetic and cultural obstacles
Certain obstacles persist and fuel misinformation, particularly of an aesthetic or cultural nature. The experts mobilized during this week point out that physical transformations are natural, whether the mother is breastfeeding or not, and that the essential issue remains the health and development of the baby.
Also read:
Only 8.5% of Tunisian mothers breastfeed their infants exclusively (2018)
