US Newborn Vitamin K Refusal Rate Hits 6.8%, More Than Doubling Since 2017
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Nov 5
US Newborn Vitamin K Refusal Rate Hits 6.8%, More Than Doubling Since 2017
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Nov 5
Summary
6.8% of US newborns did not receive a vitamin K shot in 2025, up from 3.1% in 2017, according to a new JAMA study.
Infants who missed the injection faced a significantly higher risk of vitamin K-deficient bleeding by 6 months old, including bleeding in the brain and gastrointestinal tract.
Those newborns were also more than twice as likely to die during birth hospitalizations with bleeding, linking the drop in uptake to rising infant deaths.
The findings add detail to earlier 2025 data showing 1,764 bleeding cases—nearly double 2024's 903—as routine newborn shot refusals spread.