More babies across the United States are suffering life-threatening bleeding as an increasing number of parents refuse a simple injection for their newborns, according to a new report. Medical experts warn that the decline in standard vitamin K injections is leading to preventable deaths and severe brain injuries.
Alarming rise in refusal rates
National data from a study of over 5 million births, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that the rate of infants not receiving the vitamin K shot at birth reached 5 percent in 2024. This represents a 77 percent increase since 2017. In some hospital systems, such as St. Luke’s Health System in Idaho, refusal rates have more than doubled since the start of the pandemic, with one facility reporting that 20 percent of families opted out of the procedure.
Deadly consequences
Medical records and autopsy reports reviewed by ProPublica show a recent string of infant deaths across several states, including Maryland, Alabama, Texas, and Kentucky. Pathologists attributed these deaths to vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a condition where the blood cannot clot, causing internal hemorrhaging. Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, but newborns are born with very little of it. The nutrient does not pass easily through the placenta, and breast milk contains only trace amounts.
Research indicates that infants who do not receive the vitamin K injection are 81 times more likely to develop late-onset bleeding, which can occur up to six months after birth and often results in bleeding into the brain or intestines. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five babies who develop the condition will die.
Medical consensus and parental concerns
“Since we’ve been treating babies with vitamin K, we haven’t seen much deficiency bleeding, so people think it doesn’t exist,” said Dr. Ivan Hand, director of neonatology at Kings County Hospital Center in New York. The medical community maintains that the benefits of the shot far outweigh the risks. The injection has been the global standard of care since 1961 and has nearly eliminated the condition in the developed world.
However, parents often cite specific concerns when refusing. The procedure involves minor risks such as brief pain and potential redness or bruising at the injection site. Some parents express concern over ingredients like benzyl alcohol, used as a preservative in certain vials, though pediatricians say the levels are safe. Other families opt for delayed cord clamping or oral vitamin K supplements, but research indicates these methods do not provide the same level of protection as the intramuscular injection.
Misinformation and vaccine skepticism
Public health officials attribute the rise in refusals partly to misinformation on social media and a broader post-pandemic skepticism toward pharmaceutical interventions. Although the vitamin K shot is not a vaccine, it is frequently grouped with the hepatitis B vaccine and antibiotic eye ointment, two other standard newborn treatments also seeing a decline in acceptance.
Dr. Robert Sidonio Jr., a pediatric hematologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, said the lack of a federal tracking system for these cases makes it difficult to show parents the true scope of the danger. He argued that the condition should be made a reportable health event. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said that vitamin K at birth remains the standard of care, despite recent political debates regarding parental autonomy in medical decision-making.
