A survey conducted by the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) found that confusion about bone marrow stem cell donation was preventing people from becoming donors.
More than 3 500 people participated in the nationwide survey held over a three-month period.
About 49% of those surveyed did not consider stem cell donation to be a priority, despite thousands of South Africans being diagnosed with blood-related illness such as leukaemia annually.
“Most still believe that it involves a painful surgical procedure through which bone marrow is taken from one’s bones or spine,” said Jane Ward, SABMR deputy director.
“There is also a general lack of awareness with regards to what the peripheral blood stem cell donation process entails. Only 11% correctly described it as a procedure whereby blood is taken from a donor’s arm.”
Ward stated almost 47% of those surveyed were unaware of how difficult it is to find a bone marrow stem cell match, while a further 36% did not realise that ethnicity was critical in finding a suitable match.
“Stem cells from peripheral blood are sourced from sibling donors (30% chance) or from a matched, unrelated donor (70%) if a sibling is not available. Finding the right match, especially when there is not a sibling donor, is a specialised process that can take weeks, even months, depending on the patient’s tissue type,” Ward explained.
