Urgent call for bone marrow donors
You can sign up online to become a bone marrow donor
NOT only are blood stocks critically low, but bone marrow registries around the world – including in South Africa – have reported a worrying decline in bone marrow donors.
According to the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the treatment of all blood disorders the world over, as well as on stem cell transplants.
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This puts thousands of lives at risk.
Dr Charlotte Ingram, Medical Director of the SABMR, attributes the decline to physical blood stem cell donor registrations having to be cancelled because of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions prompting the public to stay indoors.
‘These measures are obviously crucial in slowing the spread of the virus, but it has put a strain on the critical services that registries provide,’ said Dr Ingram.
‘Aside from a lag in donor recruitment, Covid-19 has made it difficult to transport blood stem cells to patients in need.
‘While specialised stem cell courier services are operational, the current travel restrictions, international flight availability and quarantine protocols have impacted critical delivery times.’
In light of these restrictions, the SABMR will, for the foreseeable future, recruit donors online.
As well as a global decline in donor registrations, other critical services such as the transporting of blood stem cells to patients in need have also been impacted.
The SABMR has put out an urgent call to the public to sign up as donors, as patients with all manner of blood disorders, including leukaemia and thalassemia, are in urgent need of blood stem cell transplants.
The fewer the donors, the lower the chance of finding a match for affected patients.
As it is, the chance of finding a successful donor is one in 100 000.
For more information, or to sign up, contact the SABMR on 021 4478638, email donors@sabmr.co.za or visit https://sabmr.co.za/become-a-donor/
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