Tunisia: communities and community genetics

The population of Tunisia rose from 2.7 millions before the Second World War to 10,074,951 in 2005. Modern Tunisians are the descendents of indigenous Berbers and of people from various civilizations that were assimilated into the population over the centuries. Since its independence in 1956, Tunisia has enjoyed a stable political regime. The social landscape has also changed, based on the declaration of the Code of Personal Status, and on the nationwide education and economic progress. Consanguineous marriages are prevalent, with the same distribution between maternal and paternal relatives' offspring. Large and consanguineous families contributed to the description of a number of new autosomal recessive conditions and to identify new loci and genes. Genetic disorders are common in Tunisia, where most people are receptive to health guidelines. Selective abortion of an affected fetus is legal in Tunisia. Contraception is encouraged. This paper reviews common genetic disorders in the country. In spite of the high quality of health care services provided in Tunisia and the progress made in genetic research in the country, genetic services still remain insufficient and do not cover all parts of the country. At present, genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis seems to be the method of choice to prevent genetic diseases in Tunisia, and such services should be developed as a priority despite the financial costs of such a program.