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Rates of life-threatening bleeding in US infants have spiked since 2017 as parents increasingly refuse protective newborn doses of vitamin K, a trend that coincides with a growing wave of mistrust toward vaccines and other newborn interventions.
Two studies published last week were the first to show that bleeding rates in US infants have increased along with rising refusals of vitamin K shots.
Newborns do not produce enough vitamin K, a critical nutrient for blood clotting, and injections at birth have been standard for over 60 years. As a result, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not record refusal figures or resulting bleeding cases.
Vitamin K refusals have been steadily increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic but have accelerated further under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who spent decades raising doubts about vaccines before taking office. He has since removed six childhood vaccines from recommended schedules, though the changes remain paused by legal action. Health experts warn these shifting messages have deepened parental skepticism regarding basic newborn care, including vitamin K.
A US Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson confirmed the CDC still advises newborn vitamin K injections, but declined to state whether the agency will track refusal…
