Key Takeaways

About 200,000 babies born between 2017 and 2024 did not receive a vitamin K shot

Refusal rose from under 3% to more than 5%, especially after the COVID pandemic

Babies who skip the shot are 80 times more likely to develop dangerous bleeding

TUESDAY, Dec. 9, 2025 (HealthDay News) — More parents are saying no to vitamin K shots for their newborns, and experts warn babies could be at serious risk.

A study published Dec. 8 in JAMA found that refusal of vitamin K, a shot given shortly after birth to prevent dangerous bleeding, has skyrocketed in recent years.

Researchers reviewed medical records for more than 5 million infants born in 403 hospitals nationwide between 2017 and 2024. In all, about 4% of babies, roughly 200,000, did not receive the shot.

Refusal climbed fr

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