South Africa could face growing pressure on its stem cell donor pool unless more young people register as donors, the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has warned.
The registry's donor base is ageing rapidly, with almost half of active stem cell donors aged over 46. By contrast, just 4.2% of registered donors fall within the key 16 to 25 age bracket, while the median donor age has reached 44, according to Weekend Argus.
The concern comes as the SABMR marks 35 years of operation and looks ahead to a period in which thousands of existing donors are expected to become medically ineligible or reach the age limit for donation, potentially reducing the availability of life-saving stem cell transplants.
SABMR deputy director Jane Ward said transplant centres generally favour younger donors because younger stem cells are associated with better transplant outcomes.
"Stem cells, just like other organs, age over time. If we do not significantly increase recruitment among younger South Africans now, we risk creating a future shortage of suitable donors when patients need them the most," she said.
The SABMR currently has more than 78,000 active donors but says younger recruits are urgently needed to replenish the database and prevent future shortages for patients with blood cancers and other life-threatening blood disorders.
Ward said the challenge was not unique to South Africa but could have implications beyond the country's borders because the registry works with international donor networks.
She said the organisation aims to recruit at least 4,000 eligible new donors annually over the next five to 10 years, while also improving demographic representation within the database.
"To address the issue, we are implementing a long-term strategy focused on dramatically increasing recruitment among South African youth. We also aim to diversify the registry database as it currently does not reflect the demographic make-up of the country's population," Ward said.
According to donor recruitment supervisor Gaelan Naidoo, the registry is focusing on recruiting suitable and committed donors rather than simply increasing numbers.
He said current recruitment trends show that only 59% of people who register ultimately meet the medical requirements needed to remain eligible donors.
"We also need to ensure that donors are committed, contactable and traceable should we need to get hold of them," he said.
Naidoo said recruitment efforts were being expanded at schools and universities, but donor recruitment remained costly.
"It can cost up to R850 for a swab kit and testing to recruit a single donor. While signing up as a donor is completely free, the SABMR covers the cost of the kit and testing," he said.
As a non-profit organisation, the SABMR receives no government funding and relies on donations, fundraising initiatives and corporate support to sustain its donor recruitment programmes.
The registry has also shifted its outreach strategy towards digital engagement and storytelling campaigns aimed at younger audiences.
Naidoo said the approach was designed to highlight the human impact behind donor registration, particularly given that some patients have only a one-in-100,000 chance of finding a compatible donor match.
"Behind every statistic is a real person awaiting a second chance at life. We need a new generation of donors to step forward not someday, but now," he said.
The SABMR is encouraging healthy South Africans aged between 16 and 35 to register as stem cell donors during Youth Month.
Established in 1991, the SABMR was created to help patients who require bone marrow or stem cell transplants but do not have a matching donor within their family. The organisation searches for compatible donors locally and internationally through partnerships with registries around the world.
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