More young people are interested to become bone marrow stem cell donors since 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to donate. According to the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) the number of those that signs up has increased to 65%.
“In just over a year since lowering the eligible donor age, more than 3 000 South African youths have joined our registry. Most are between 16 and 35,” said Nadia Chalkley, head of Donor Recruitment for the SABMR.
She said the bulk of youth registrations was from donor drives held at schools and universities.
