Stability as a basis for growth

The registry continued to develop once again in 2024 – with a constant but more sustainable rate of growth than those of previous years. One of the challenges lies in recruiting more younger people to register. Swiss Transfusion SRC has also been taking greater care to ensure that it has up-to-date information on the people who are already in the registry. Correct contact information and the latest data about the health and availability of registered persons are of essential importance for the registry’s quality and reliability.

The Swiss registry listed 190,800 persons at the end of 2024, a 4.2 per cent increase over the 2023 total (183,091 persons). A total of 10,665 persons were added to the registry, 23 per cent more than the 2023 figure (8,645). There were 2,956 persons removed from the registry (2023: 3,403).

In addition to the regular removal of donors from the registry when they turn 60, people are also removed from the registry because of a change in their health or their personal situation that precludes the donation of blood stem cells. Intensified dialogue aimed at strengthening donor commitment ensures that registered donors are regularly reminded of their pledge to donate blood stem cells. They are given the opportunity to reconsider their commitment quickly and easily and to decide for themselves whether they wish to remain in the registry.

As part of these efforts, Swiss Transfusion SRC once again wrote to over 50,000 registered blood stem cell donors, asking them to review their data electronically. The group selected was made up of persons under the age of 35, as their youth makes them more likely to receive a request for a possible donation. In addition to the request to review their contact details, we inquired about their medical and temporal availability in the event of a concrete donation request. About 43 per cent of those contacted went on to verify their data and complete the availability check. A total of 3.6 per cent reported that their health situation had changed since they registered. On the basis of the updated data, Swiss Transfusion SRC contacted over 800 people by phone to determine whether they would be eligible to donate. This led to the removal from the registry of 390 persons who no longer met the medical criteria for registration as donors. Swiss Transfusion SRC repeats this donor information update and availability checking process every year in order to improve the quality of the Swiss registry of blood stem cell donors.

Registry: Men accounted for 36 per cent of the donors in the registry in 2024 (2023: 35.9 per cent). The average age of registered donors was 37.9 (2023: 37.8), and 24.1 per cent of all registered donors were under the age of 30 (2023: 25 per cent).

New registrations: At 37.9 per cent, the proportion of men among those newly registering was down slightly from the previous year’s 39.5 per cent. People under the age of 30 accounted for 68.1 per cent of those added to the registry (2023: 62 per cent).

Collections: Male donors provided 67 per cent of all Swiss blood stem cell donations (2023: 59 per cent); 83.3 per cent of the donors from whom blood stem cells were collected were under the age of 36 (2023: 82.7 per cent).

Ensuring a sustainable donor base

Swiss Transfusion SRC is aiming at a balanced ratio of men to women in the registry of blood stem cell donors and seeking to recruit more younger people to register as donors. The percentage of “under 30s” is a key indicator for registries, because the transplantation of stem cells from young donors is, for medical reasons, more promising in terms of patient outcomes. Continually increasing the representation of this age group in the registry will ensure its future viability.

male

female

male

female

«We were once again able to build on the motivated and ambitious support of the student organisation Marrow during the year under report, as we had for many years in the past.»

Thomas Richert, Events Officer

Recruitment events result in 1,930 new registrations

The start into the new year could hardly have been more moving: two registration drives in support of specific patients were held in Zurich, at the University of the Arts (ZHdK) and at the Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich. The organisers of these events were a former student and a current student, respectively, both with ties to someone suffering from leukaemia. Events like these, i.e. drives associated with one specific person, give rise to a big wave of solidarity. Clear communication is important in this context: the people who step forward to register must understand that they are not registering specifically as a donor for that particular patient, but rather as a sign of solidarity, and that they will be available to all patients worldwide once they are added to the Swiss registry.

Joint events held with the Liechtenstein Red Cross in Schaan and with the organising committee of the Dreiländerlauf (three countries race) in Basel generated a lot of media attention.

In August, Swiss Transfusion SRC had the chance to take part in the blood drive of the BSC Young Boys held in the Wankdorf stadium for the first time. This was an ideal opportunity for the organisation to create a presence there, by setting up its own stand.

Also worth highlighting are the many recurring events at secondary schools and military institutions, which raise awareness of blood stem cell donation among young people in particular. Swiss Transfusion SRC was once again able to build on the motivated and ambitious support of the student organisation Marrow during the year under report, as it had for many years in the past. Moreover, it became clear towards the end of 2024 that the Marrow chapters in Zurich and Fribourg, after a period of inactivity, would be supporting the organisation once again, starting in 2025.

Representative survey on blood stem cell donation

Swiss Transfusion SRC carried out a second representative survey in late January 2024 to determine the extent of knowledge on and attitudes towards blood stem cell donation among the Swiss populace, the first survey having been conducted in late August 2023. This second survey was timed to directly follow the launch of a national awareness-raising campaign. A representative sample of the population of German- and French-speaking Switzerland aged 18–40 was surveyed.

The most relevant findings include the following:

  • Gaps in knowledge: around half of the Swiss population know nothing or very little about blood stem cell donation. This lack of knowledge was particularly acute among persons who had never donated blood. Misconceptions concerning how blood stem cells are collected were widespread.
  • Awareness of the registry: the level of awareness of the registry of blood stem cell donors was significantly higher (7 per cent) than it was in the first wave of the survey: 5 out of 10 people were aware that the registry exists. Women were significantly more likely to be aware of it than are men.
  • Barriers to registration and donation: one in four of those surveyed were unwilling to register as a potential donor. Fears, health concerns and lack of information continued to be the chief reasons reported for this. The willingness to donate if one’s cells are found to be a match was often higher than a willingness to register, but existing fears and lack of information also played a role here.
  • Willingness to donate: willingness to donate blood stem cells in the case of a match came in at 60 per cent. The level of willingness was higher among women than among men and had not changed since the first wave of the survey. The greatest barriers here relate to ignorance, fear of having their cells removed and/or the medical procedure itself.
  • Autumn campaign on blood stem cell donation: less than 20 per cent of those surveyed were aware of the campaign, which is understandable given the small media budget. On a positive note, awareness of the campaign tended to be higher among young people aged 18–25. The campaign was assessed as positive and likeable by more than half of those surveyed.

«We have to be visible if we are going to recruit enough young people to register as blood stem cell donors. And visibility is exactly what the campaign ‘Be the Match for Life’ is intended to create.”»

Franziska Kellenberger, Head of Marketing and Communication

Awareness-raising campaign “Be the Match for Life”

The findings from the survey mentioned previously clearly indicate that the target group must be aware of the registry so that enough young people register as blood stem cell donors.

To create this visibility, “Be the Match for Life”, an awareness-raising campaign launched in 2023, was continued in the year under report. The organisation’s primary objective with this campaign is to generate new registrations.

The targets: 70 per cent of the newly registered donors should be below the age of 30, and the current sex distribution should be maintained. Young men make up a large percentage of blood stem cell donors, so it is essential that the percentage of men in the registry should not fall below its current level.

Testimonials: Stories written by life

In 2024, Swiss Transfusion SRC once again had the privilege of sharing the stories of people who had either been a transplant recipient or who had donated blood stem cells. In one of these stories, Philipp Fankhauser acknowledges that it is only thanks to a blood stem cell transplant that he has been able to return to the stage. The blues musician and songwriter also talks about his experience of receiving the transplant, how he is feeling now and his plans for the future. This story appeared in the fourth issue of the magazine of the Swiss Red Cross, “Humanité”, as well as in social media.

Testimonials help make the complex subject of blood stem cell donation understandable and real, and they help motivate people to support the cause of blood stem cell donation. Swiss Transfusion SRC wishes to express its sincere gratitude to all of the ambassadors for their time and for their willingness to tell their stories with great courage and candour.

Donor commitment: Focus on quality of data and availability

Swiss Transfusion SRC once again stayed in contact with registered blood stem cell donors last year by sending out three newsletters. The May newsletter was devoted to the anonymous letters that blood stem cell donors and recipients are allowed to exchange.

The second newsletter focused on the story of Beatriz Salado, who survived her acute lymphocytic leukemia only thanks to a blood stem cell donation.

In the year’s third and last issue, Petra Schmid told readers about how she lost her godfather to leukemia 20 years ago and then, years later, donated blood stem cells to someone who was ill.

Availability upon a concrete request for donation due to a possible match with a patient fell from 74 per cent in 2016 to 51 per cent in 2023. The availability indicator for 2024 came in at 56.9 per cent. When first contacted with a request, 24 per cent of those who gave a negative response cited reasons of a medical nature for doing so, 19 per cent cited personal reasons (see chart).

Unavailability due to a pregnancy, a longer absence or having undergone a medical procedure can be of temporary or permanent nature, and in the latter case results in the donor’s removal from the registry.

Several measures have been initiated and implemented in recent years with the aim of bringing the availability indicator back up:

  • Status updates on the donor’s registration process by email
  • Letters to donors on updating information about their availability
  • Newsletter on availability

The aim is to increase the availability indicator to at least 75 per cent by 2026. To meet this ambitious target, a study aimed at identifying the age groups and forms of registration associated with the lowest availability rates will begin in 2025.

Post-donation follow-up

On the basis of a mandate from the Federal Office of Public Health, Swiss Translation SRC is responsible for running a ten-year follow-up programme for all related and unrelated donors in Switzerland. This ensures that the donors’ health is protected. It also enables Swiss Transfusion SRC to gather detailed information that will benefit future donors.

In past years, 80 to 90 per cent of blood stem cell donors opted to participate in the voluntary follow-up programme, either through printed questionnaires or by email. In 2024, this figure came in at 79 per cent (2023: 83 per cent); see chart (figures as per 30 Jan. 2025). This reflects a slightly downward trend. In 2025, the process will be carried out digitally via an online questionnaire and continually refined.

Return rate, per cent

Number of questionnaires mailed (related and unrelated)

Number of questionnaires received (related and unrelated)