Overview
- An analysis by health-data firm Truveta found hospital non-administration of the vitamin K shot rose more than 57% from January through June 2026, with the national rate climbing to 8.1% by the end of June.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that without the single injection given at birth infants are about 81 times more likely to suffer life-threatening bleeding in the first six months and that one in five severe bleeding cases is fatal.
- Public-health experts link the recent acceleration to declining trust after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed recommendations for several newborn and childhood vaccines in January and after later federal actions, while HHS says it is reviewing data and disputes that those moves are the sole cause.
- Clinics and hospitals are adapting: some pediatric practices now offer the shot in outpatient visits, many require signed refusal forms, and some hospitals deny newborn circumcision for infants who have not received vitamin K because of surgical bleeding risks.
- The rise echoes past clusters of vitamin K deficiency bleeding, data show female infants are disproportionately affected, and clinicians warn that continued refusals could increase preventable, severe bleeding events in newborns as agencies monitor surveillance data.