Cases of severe infant bleeding have surged across the United States as a growing number of parents refuse to allow their newborns to receive the recommended vitamin K injection, according to new research published this week in JAMA Pediatrics.
The proportion of US infants who did not receive a vitamin K shot at birth climbed to 6.8% in 2025, more than double the 3.1% rate recorded in 2017, researchers found. The percentage of newborns receiving the shot fell from 97.7% to 95% over the same period, while the rate of vitamin K deficiency bleeding nearly quadrupled and is continuing to accelerate, according to the data.
Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, and newborns are routinely given an injection shortly after birth to prevent potentially life-threatening bleeding. The latest studies, which examined medical records from more than 11 million infants six months old or younger, found that babies who did not receive the shot faced a 47% higher risk of bleeding in their first six months of life compared with those who did receive it.
Infants whose parents declined the vitamin K injection were found to have more than twice the risk of suffering intracranial hemorrhage—bleeding in the brain—and were also more likely to die from bleeding-related complications during their initial hospital stay, according to the research cited by Reuters and The Washington Post.
Researchers documented a total of 5,217 bleeding events among the 11 million births included in the studies. They calculated that for every 114 newborns who do not receive the vitamin K shot at birth, one additional bleeding event is likely to occur.
The refusals have accelerated in recent years, with the rate jumping from 5.1% at the end of 2024 to 6.8% in 2025. Experts attribute the trend in part to growing public skepticism toward vaccines and other newborn interventions, a sentiment that has intensified under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to multiple sources.
While vitamin K injections are not vaccines, some parents have expressed concerns about the number of medical interventions recommended for newborns, leading to increased refusal rates. Public health officials and pediatricians have repeatedly emphasized that the vitamin K shot is safe, effective, and critical for preventing dangerous and sometimes fatal bleeding in infants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and leading pediatric associations continue to recommend universal administration of vitamin K at birth. Health authorities warn that the rising refusal rates threaten to reverse decades of progress in preventing vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a condition that was once a leading cause of infant mortality before the introduction of routine injections.
Why it matters
The sharp increase in vitamin K shot refusals has immediate and serious consequences for newborn health in the United States. According to the studies published in JAMA Pediatrics, the quadrupling of vitamin K deficiency bleeding rates puts thousands of infants at risk for preventable brain damage or death, underscoring the importance of maintaining high coverage for this basic intervention.
This trend is emerging amid a broader wave of mistrust toward public health recommendations, which experts say has been fueled by political developments and heightened skepticism under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The data suggest that misinformation and confusion about the purpose and safety of the vitamin K shot are contributing to the decline in uptake, despite its well-established benefits.
With the refusal rate now affecting nearly 7% of US newborns, pediatricians and health officials are facing renewed challenges in communicating the critical role of vitamin K in newborn care. The findings highlight the need for targeted public education and policy responses to prevent further increases in infant bleeding and to protect the health of the most vulnerable population.
The image accompanying this article is an AI-generated illustrative depiction inspired by the actual scene of the event.
