The South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) is calling on young people specifically between the ages of 16 and 35 who are relatively healthy to consider signing up as a stem cell donor this Youth Month.
The South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has issued an urgent call to action for young South Africans to step forward as stem cell donors. As the organisation faces a demographic crisis within its donor database, it is warning that an ageing pool of donors could create a critical shortage of life-saving transplants for patients battling blood cancers and other blood disorders.
The Ageing Database Crisis
New data from the SABMR highlights a concerning trend regarding donor age. While the registry boasts over 78,000 active donors, the database is currently ageing faster than it is being replenished.
Key statistics from the latest report include:
