Newborn Vitamin K Shot Refusals Rise Sharply in US

The newborn vitamin K shot is facing a sharp rise in refusals across the United States, prompting pediatricians to warn that more infants could be exposed to a rare but potentially devastating form of bleeding.

An exclusive Reuters analysis of health records involving more than 1 million births found that the percentage of newborns who did not receive the standard vitamin K injection within a day of birth increased by more than 57% during the first half of 2026. By the end of June, 8.1% of infants in the analysis had not received the shot, compared with 5.2% six months earlier.

The development has alarmed doctors because newborns naturally begin life with very low levels of vitamin K. The nutrient is essential for normal blood clotting, and without adequate amounts, infants can develop vitamin K deficiency bleeding, or VKDB.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend a vitamin K shot shortly after birth. The agency says infants who do not receive it are at substantially greater risk of severe bleeding during their first six months of life.

Newborn Vitamin K Shot Refusals Jump 57%

The latest figures come from Truveta, a health data and analytics company that examined medical records covering more than 140 million people.

Its analysis identified 1,026,375 infants born to 825,599 mothers between January 2019 and June 2026. Researchers found that the rate of newborns not receiving vitamin K during the first half of 2026 was 2.5 times the average rate recorded between 2019 and 2024. It was also 1.4 times the rate recorded in 2025.

The rise continues a trend that had already concerned pediatric specialists.

Earlier research supported by the National Institutes of Health examined more than 5 million births between 2017 and 2024. That analysis found that the percentage of newborns who did not receive a vitamin K shot increased from 2.92% in 2017 to 5.18% in 2024, representing a 77% increase over eight years.

The newer data suggests the pace of change has accelerated.

That is particularly concerning to doctors because vitamin K deficiency bleeding can occur without obvious warning signs.

Why Newborns Need Vitamin K

Vitamin K plays a fundamental role in the body’s ability to form blood clots.

Adults obtain vitamin K through food and also produce some of it through bacteria in the intestines. Newborn babies, however, enter the world with very limited stores.

The placenta does not transfer large amounts of vitamin K from mother to developing baby. At the same time, newborn intestines contain relatively few bacteria capable of producing the nutrient. Breast milk also contains only small amounts of vitamin K.

That creates a temporary period in which an otherwise healthy infant can be vulnerable to serious bleeding.

The standard injection provides the missing protection during this early period.

According to the CDC, vitamin K deficiency bleeding can occur in the intestines, brain or other parts of the body. About half of babies who develop VKDB experience bleeding in the brain, which can cause permanent neurological injury or death.

The condition can occur during the first six months of life, although the risk is especially important during the early months when babies remain dependent on limited dietary sources of vitamin K.

Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding Can Be Difficult to Detect

One of the biggest concerns for doctors is that parents may not realize their baby is in danger until a serious bleeding event has already begun.

The CDC says most cases of VKDB have no warning signs before a life-threatening bleed starts.

Potential signs can include unusual bruising, bleeding around the umbilical cord, blood in the stool, black or tarry stool, vomiting blood, unusually pale skin or gums, excessive sleepiness, irritability, seizures and repeated vomiting.

Some of these symptoms can resemble other conditions in newborns. Internal bleeding can also be difficult for parents to identify at home.

That is why prevention has been a central focus of pediatric care.

The CDC says a single vitamin K shot after birth is the easiest and most reliable way to prevent VKDB.

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Newborn Vitamin K Shot and Growing Medical Mistrust

Reuters reported that pediatricians are increasingly connecting vitamin K refusals with a broader environment of mistrust surrounding vaccines and routine medical interventions.

The issue has become politically sensitive as the administration of President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have pursued changes to federal health policy.

Reuters reported that Kennedy previously announced changes to recommendations involving several childhood vaccines. Those changes have subsequently faced legal and policy challenges. Trump also called for the changes again in an August executive order.

Medical professionals interviewed by Reuters said the broader debate may contribute to confusion among parents about interventions administered to newborns.

Kennedy denied playing a role in declining support for vitamin K when questioned during a congressional hearing in April.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the agency and CDC are evaluating available data and surveillance involving vitamin K refusals and associated bleeding events. The spokesperson also said concerns about vitamin K and declining trust in public health institutions existed before the current administration.

The distinction matters because vitamin K is not a vaccine. It is a vitamin used to support the blood-clotting process.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended routine vitamin K administration for newborns for decades.

Doctors See the Consequences Firsthand

For pediatricians and neonatologists, the statistics represent more than a public-health trend.

Reuters spoke with a dozen pediatricians, neonatologists and pediatric critical-care specialists who described increasing concern about parents refusing evidence-based newborn interventions.

Some doctors have already changed their practices in response.

One pediatric network, Zarminali Pediatrics, has begun stocking vitamin K shots in all of its primary-care practices because refusals have become sufficiently common that physicians are encountering more families seeking the injection after leaving the hospital.

Other doctors have adopted formal procedures requiring parents who decline the shot to sign documentation acknowledging the potential risks.

The concern is rooted partly in experience.

Reuters reported that neonatologist Dr. Sarah Coggins encountered a cluster of babies with severe vitamin K deficiency bleeding while she was a medical student in Nashville in 2013. One infant she treated suffered long-term brain damage.

For doctors who have witnessed such cases, preventing the condition is not an abstract medical recommendation.

Girls Are More Likely to Miss the Shot

The latest data also revealed an unexpected difference between male and female infants.

In June 2026, 8.9% of baby girls in the Truveta analysis had not received the vitamin K shot within a day of birth. The figure for boys was 7.3%.

Researchers do not yet know why the difference exists.

However, earlier research involving three hospitals affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania health system found that being born a girl was associated with approximately twice the risk of vitamin K refusal.

Doctors are now concerned that continued increases could eventually translate into more bleeding complications among girls.

Researchers are working to determine whether the refusal pattern is already affecting rates of VKDB.

Circumcision Is Adding Another Layer to the Debate

The issue has also created an unusual divide in newborn medical decisions.

Some parents who refuse vitamin K still want their newborn sons to undergo circumcision. But because circumcision involves bleeding, some hospitals will not perform the procedure if a baby has not received vitamin K.

Reuters reported that some pediatric practices have adopted a strict policy: no vitamin K means no circumcision.

The reasoning is straightforward.

Vitamin K deficiency can interfere with normal clotting, potentially increasing the consequences of bleeding during or after an invasive procedure.

This policy has become another point of discussion between doctors and families who are uncertain about the injection.

What the Evidence Says About Vitamin K Safety

Questions about the safety of vitamin K have existed for decades.

The CDC notes that a study published in the early 1990s raised a possible association between vitamin K administration and childhood cancer. Pediatric researchers subsequently conducted numerous studies to investigate the concern.

According to the CDC, later studies did not reproduce that association.

The NIH likewise describes vitamin K administration as a preventive measure that has been used routinely in the United States since the 1960s. Researchers say the injection helped eliminate widespread cases of bleeding caused by vitamin K deficiency.

As with any medical treatment, adverse reactions are possible. MedlinePlus notes that phytonadione injection can rarely cause serious allergic reactions, which is one reason newborn injections are administered in healthcare settings.

For parents considering the decision, medical professionals recommend discussing the benefits, risks and any specific concerns with the baby’s healthcare provider rather than relying on social-media claims or anecdotal reports.

A Long-Standing Preventive Measure Faces a New Test

The increase in newborn vitamin K shot refusals illustrates a broader challenge facing pediatric medicine: how to maintain trust in preventive care when parents are exposed to conflicting health information.

The latest Reuters analysis does not establish that any single political figure, policy change or online movement directly caused the increase. However, pediatricians interviewed by Reuters said the rise is occurring alongside a broader decline in confidence in established medical recommendations.

The trend also follows years of gradual increases.

The NIH’s analysis of more than 5 million births already documented a substantial rise in non-receipt of vitamin K between 2017 and 2024. The 2026 Truveta figures suggest that the trajectory may be accelerating.

For public-health officials, the next challenge may be improving surveillance.

Two U.S. lawmakers called on federal health officials in July to track vitamin K refusals, bleeding events and related deaths and make the information publicly available. Reuters reported that they had not received a response at the time of publication.

Better data could help determine whether the increase in refusals is being followed by a measurable rise in serious bleeding cases.

Why the Newborn Vitamin K Shot Matters

The central medical issue is simple: newborns naturally have very little vitamin K, and that deficiency can interfere with their ability to stop bleeding.

The newborn vitamin K shot provides protection during a vulnerable period of early life.

The CDC says the injection can prevent VKDB, including bleeding that occurs in the brain or intestines. It also emphasizes that infants who do not receive the shot can remain at risk for the condition for months.

The latest U.S. data therefore represents more than a change in hospital statistics.

It signals a growing public-health concern over whether more families are declining a long-established preventive treatment without fully understanding the potential consequences.

As refusal rates climb, pediatricians are likely to face increasing pressure to explain the science, address parental concerns and rebuild confidence in routine newborn care.

For families preparing for a birth, the most important step is to have that conversation before delivery. Parents with questions about vitamin K should discuss the evidence and their baby’s individual circumstances with a qualified healthcare professional.

The stakes are high because VKDB can be rare, unpredictable and devastating — while prevention is available from the beginning of a baby’s life.