In a survey for the Missing Type campaign, participating blood services reported the number of people becoming donors and giving blood for the first time was 1 830 003 in 2005 and 1 324 980 in 2015 – a drop of 27.6%.

The campaign – first held in England and North Wales by NHS Blood and Transplant in 2015 – brings together 25 blood services from 21 countries covering one billion of the world’s population who are each calling for new donors to ensure blood donation for future generations.

In South Africa, there is a particular need for new donors with O negative blood. O negative blood can be transfused to anyone, so these donors are referred to as “universal donors”. However, all blood groups are required to ensure adequate stocks at all times.

Key barriers to people coming forward to donate that were identified by blood services around the world include:

  • Increasing urbanisation;
  • Wider and more exotic travel;
  • People have less time to give in an increasingly busy and digital world;
  • Lack of awareness about the need for more diverse blood donors; and
  • A rise in the popularity of tattoos.

Throughout the campaign As, Bs and Os, the letters of the main blood groups, will disappear in everyday and iconic locations and from well-known brand names. The letters will be disappearing from famous locations in Australia, America, Japan, Ireland, England, and many more countries. Celebrities supporting the campaign include actress Jamie Lee Curtis and rapper LL Cool J,Thapelo Mokoena, Zizo Beda, Khaya Mthethwa, IFani, Bokang, Mzokoloko Gumede, Christopher Jaftha , Joe Mann, Sandile Kubheka, Cameron Classens and Phindi Gule.

Additionally, patients from around the world whose lives were saved by transfusions have thanked blood donors in a moving video called Talking Heads, to highlight that in a world without As, Bs and Os, they would not be here today.

Silungile Mlambo, senior marketing manager for the SANBS, the service that collects, tests and processes blood across South Africa said: “Blood transfusions save lives and transform health for millions across the world. But they are dependent on people donating blood. Whether it is patients receiving treatment for cancer, blood disorders, after accidents or during surgery, or new moms who lost blood in childbirth, blood is an absolutely essential part of modern healthcare.”

“We really hope that people living in South Africa will be inspired by the Missing Type campaign and start saving lives by becoming blood donors. It’s incredibly easy and painless to donate blood, by simply visiting one of 86 donor sites, or 66 mobile teams in the country,” added Mlambo. 

A number of high profile brands, individuals and organisations are backing the campaign in South Africa.

According to the SANBS, just 7% of new blood donors are people between the ages of 16 and 25 (according to 2015 stats).

You can start donating blood across South Africa from age 16, if you weigh over 50 kilograms and lead a sexually safe lifestyle. Keep in mind one must never donate blood to receive a free HIV test as it places lives of patients at risk.

Jon Latham from NHS Blood and Transplant, the service which has co-ordinated the campaign, said: “We’re delighted the South African National Blood Service is taking part in the Missing Type campaign. It doesn’t matter where you’re from in the world, there will be patients in your country whose lives depend on transfusions. And I really hope that the Missing Type campaign will inspire more people to come forward to start saving lives. Hopefully by working together we can reverse the international decline in new donors.”

To sign up as a new donor, visit sanbs.org.za for your closest donor site. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter using the #MissingType hashtag.