South African Stem Cell Registry Warns Donor Tracing Crisis Threatens Lives

Despite access to nearly 43 million registered stem cell donors worldwide, a silent crisis is unfolding. The ability to locate and contact those donors is becoming one of the greatest barriers to life-saving transplants — and South Africans are paying the price.

A recent global report from the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) reveals a staggering statistic: 50% of registered donors were removed from the global database in 2023 because they could not be reached.

One Missed Call Could Cost a Life

Locally, the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) is sounding the alarm. Eleven percent of South African donors could not be traced last year, despite having been registered as willing volunteers.

With the odds of finding a compatible match already as low as 1 in 100 000, losing even one contactable donor can mean the difference between survival and loss. This challenge is amplified for patients of African, mixed, or Indian descent, who have more genetically diverse tissue types, making matches even harder to find.

“Once someone signs up as a stem cell donor, lives quite literally hang in the balance,” says Jane Ward, Deputy Director of the SABMR. “If we can’t reach them, we may not find another match — and that patient could lose their only chance at life.”

Family Matches Are Rare

• Only 30% of patients will find a match within their family.
• The remaining 70% depend entirely on donors they have never met.

Why Are Donors Being Removed?

Donors are taken off the registry for a range of reasons, including:

• Outdated contact information
• Medical changes
• Immigration
• Age restrictions (donors over 61 are retired for medical outcome reasons)
• Personal withdrawal from the programme

Ward stresses that while donors are free to withdraw at any time, becoming a donor should be considered a lifelong commitment to saving a life when called upon.

Urgent Call for Younger and Committed Donors

The SABMR’s registry is now over 30 years old, and there is a critical need to recruit younger donors who generally offer better outcomes for patients.

The SABMR is prioritising donor retention through:

• Education and awareness engagement
• Annual recommitment surveys
• Follow-up questionnaires post-registration
• Appeals to donors to keep their contact information up to date

“A stem cell transplant is often a patient’s last and only option,” says Ward. “Every active, contactable donor increases the chance of saving a life. If your details have changed, please update them — a phone call you receive may be the only hope someone has.”

A Call to Action

Every South African aged 16 to 45 is encouraged to register — and more importantly, to stay committed.

Your choice to remain reachable could be the reason someone gets a second chance at life.

To register or update your details, visit: www.sabmr.co.za