Breast Milk, Only Breast Milk! Experts Warn Against Water, Food For Infants Under 6 Month

As the global community prepares to mark World Breastfeeding Week, WBW 2026 from August 1-7, health experts, international partners, and civil society advocates gathered in the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF conference room in Yaoundé on Friday, July 31, 2026. For a media briefing (Media café) on the global theme, "Breastfeeding For A Sustainable Start In Life: Strengthening What Works."

Briefing Objectives

The event aimed to equip journalists with evidence-based insights to champion accurate reporting, debunk deep-seated cultural myths. And advocate stronger policy frameworks supporting mothers.

High-stake Participation

The session brought together key institutional figures, including representatives from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSANTE), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside media professionals and civil society partners.

Scaling Up What Works Wells

El Hadji Diop, Chief of the Nutrition Section in UNICEF Cameroon highlighted the importance of consolidating proven interventions, rather than searching for new remedies. "The theme is absolutely critical this year," Diop emphasized.

"Breastfeeding is one of the most cost-effective interventions. It promotes child survival, development, and overall sustainability. We are not here to reinvent the wheel. We know the evidence, we know what works; the idea is how to strengthen it and put it at scale for impact," he pointed out.

Child’s Biological Shield

Addressing the physiological benefits, Diop described breast milk as a child’s ultimate biological shield, metaphorically comparing its protective capacity to national defense structures. "Exclusive breastfeeding - breast milk - I consider it to be the Ministry of Defense," he stated. "It provides all of the protection against illnesses and infections. A child who is sick less often is healthier, and this directly strengthens cognitive development and future productivity," Diop noted.

Debunking The Water Myth

A major focal point of the workshop was addressing harmful practices surrounding infant feeding. Particularly the premature introduction of water, cereal paps, and solid foods before six months. Mrs. Mahop née Medjo Esther Laure, Head of the Nutritional Interventions Office in MINSANTE’s Department of Health Promotion, pointed to findings from the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey. Revealing that water is routinely given to newborns prematurely.

Even In Very Hot Climates  

"Water is not necessary, even in 45-degree [Celsius] heat in Maroua, for an infant under six months old," Mrs. Mahop asserted. "Breast milk contains 80% to 90% water. The milk at the start of a feeding session is light and quenches thirst, while the milk at the end is thicker, delivering essential nutrients for growth and immunity," Mahop clarified.

The Consequences

She warned that giving water fills an infant’s tiny stomach, reducing their appetite for breast milk and unintentionally leading to malnutrition. She advised mothers worried about dehydration to track diaper counts: a baby wetting 8 to 10 diapers a day is fully hydrated.

Nothing Else!

Reiterating this stance, Dr. Danielle Simnoue Nem, Nutritionist and Health Security Officer in the WHO Country Office in Cameroon, stressed that exclusive breastfeeding means strictly nothing else - no water, no juices, and no porridge - for the first six months of life. Followed by continued breastfeeding up to two years, alongside complementary foods.

Maternal Mental Health

Expanding the narrative beyond physical nutrition, Mrs. Otto Michel Aimée, Head of the Mental Health Promotion Office in MINSANTE, highlighted the direct biological link between a mother's psychological state and lactation.