Vaccines aren’t the only near-miraculous medical intervention some Americans are turning their backs on. New research out today finds that more newborns are not receiving a safe supplement that protects them from serious bleeding.

Doctors at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) studied the medical records of newborns. In recent years, they found, an increasing number of children have not been given an intramuscular dose of vitamin K soon after birth—likely due to more parents refusing the shot.

“There may be a growing perception among parents that vitamin K is unnecessary,” said lead author and neonatologist Kristan Scott in a statement from CHOP.

Safe and effective

Our bodies use vitamin K to produce many of the proteins that help us clot blood when needed. We get some vit

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