Healthy Habits - A Preventable Tragedy: Rising Vitamin K Refusals Lead to Spikes in Infant Bleeding

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Two new JAMA publications out today reveal parents are increasingly declining the standard-of-care vitamin K shot, resulting in a resurgence of life-threatening, yet preventable, bleeding disorders in newborns. Hackensack Meridian Children's Health experts (who were not involved in the studies) are available to clear the confusion about vitamin K and debunk dangerous online myths.

A retrospective cohort study published in JAMA reviewed data from more than 5.2 million U.S. infants born between 2017 and 2025. Researchers found that the rate of newborns who did not receive the vitamin K shot more than doubled, rising from 3.1% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2025. There was also a 47% higher risk of bleeding within the first 6 months of life for infants who didn’t receive the vitamin K shot compared with infants who did receive it. They also had more than twice the risk of bleeding within the skull and mortality with concurrent bleeding during the birth hospitalization. Additional information and study limitations can be found here.

 

In the JAMA Pediatrics research letter, investigators examined data from more than 11 million infants in the U.S. aged 0 to 6 months and found that the percentage of newborns who received injectable vitamin K fell from 97.7% in 2017 to 95.0% in 2025. Over the same period, the rate of vitamin K deficiency increased by 215.7% and the rate of vitamin K-deficient bleeding increased by 347.1%. Additional information and study limitations can be found here.

 

These findings highlight a growing public health trend fueled in part by medical misinformation: parents are increasingly opting out of a simple, safe supplement that has been a cornerstone of newborn care since 1961.

What Vitamin K is and what it does:

●       It is an essential nutrient, not an immunization: The vitamin K shot is not a vaccine; it is a simple, benign, plant-derived vitamin supplement given via a single injection.

●       Babies are born without it: All babies are born with very low levels of vitamin K, as it doesn't transfer well during pregnancy. Furthermore, newborns do not yet have the gut bacteria needed to produce it naturally until they are around 6 months of age and eating solid foods.

●       It is crucial for blood clotting: Without it, a baby's blood cannot clot properly. This puts them at risk for Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB), which causes sudden, uncontrolled bleeding anywhere in the body. It is most dangerous when it occurs in the brain, where it can lead to permanent brain damage or even death. Infants who do not receive the shot are 81 times more likely to develop this condition, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every five babies with VKDB will die.

●       It provides immediate protection: Administering the supplement within the first six hours of birth provides immediate, reliable protection during the baby's most vulnerable months.

Expert Commentary from Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health:

Katharine Clouser, M.D., Pediatric Hospitalist and Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs, Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center:

"A quick injection given close to birth is increasingly being declined by parents, putting newborns at risk for a devastating but entirely preventable bleeding disorder. Online misinformation is leading to a resurgence of Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding – a condition where babies can suffer spontaneous, uncontrolled bleeding in their organs and, most dangerously, their brains. Infants who do not receive this simple, safe shot are 81 times more likely to develop this potentially fatal condition."

 

Cathleen Ballance, M.D., MPH, Pediatric Hospitalist and Vice Chair, Quality & Safety, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center:

"It is crucial for parents to know that the vitamin K injection is not an immunization, but an essential vitamin – a supplement that has effectively protected babies for more than 60 years. Babies are simply not born with enough vitamin K to clot their blood. Skipping this shot leaves a newborn at risk of developing uncontrolled bleeding, which can lead to permanent brain damage or even death. This simple, safe shot provides immediate, life-saving protection during a baby's most vulnerable months."

 

For additional information on vitamin K, visit: https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/healthier-you/2026/01/15/is-it-safe-to-give-my-newborn-the-vitamin-k-shot.

For additional information on new parent education resources, visit: https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/services/childrens-health/new-parent.