Overview
- New national data in JAMA shows 5 percent of U.S. newborns missed the vitamin K shot in 2024, a 77 percent increase since 2017.
- Some hospitals report sharp spikes in refusals, with St. Luke’s Health System in Idaho more than doubling and one facility reaching 20 percent opt‑outs.
- Medical records and autopsies reviewed by ProPublica link recent infant deaths in multiple states to vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a cause preventable with the standard injection at birth.
- Newborns start with very little vitamin K and breast milk has only trace amounts, which is why skipping the shot raises the risk of late bleeding 81‑fold and can lead to brain or intestinal hemorrhage.
- Clinicians tie the trend to false claims circulating in online parent feeds, while HHS says the shot remains standard care and a pediatric hematologist urges making these cases a reportable event.