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U.S. Infant Vitamin K Shot Refusals Rise to 5 Percent in 2024
National data shows the rate of newborns not receiving the vitamin K injection at birth reached 5 percent in 2024, a 77 percent increase since 2017. Medical records document cases of vitamin K deficiency bleeding resulting in infant deaths and brain injuries in multiple states. Hospitals in some regions have seen refusal rates more than double since the start of the pandemic.
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The rate of infants not receiving the vitamin K shot at birth reached 5 percent in 2024, according to national data from a study of more than 5 million births published in the journal JAMA. This figure represents a 77 percent increase since 2017. In some hospital systems, such as St.
Luke’s Health System in Idaho, refusal rates have more than doubled since the start of the pandemic, with one facility reporting that 20 percent of families opted out. Medical records and autopsy reports reviewed by ProPublica show a recent string of infant deaths across Maryland, Alabama, Texas and Kentucky.
Pathologists attributed these deaths to vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a condition in which the blood cannot clot, causing internal hemorrhaging. The bleeding can occur up to six months after birth and often affects the brain or intestines. Newborns are born with very little vitamin K because the nutrient does not pass easily through the placenta, and breast milk contains only trace amounts.
Without the injection, infants face risk of late vitamin K deficiency bleeding. One in five babies who develop the condition will die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Refusal rates have increased notably in certain areas since the pandemic began. The national study covering more than 5 million births documented the rise to 5 percent in 2024, up 77 percent from 2017.
The vitamin K shot has been the global standard of care since 1961 and has nearly eliminated the condition in developed countries. Infants who do not receive the shot are 81 times more likely to develop late-onset bleeding than those who do. The injection prevents spontaneous brain bleeds that can lead to permanent developmental delays, paralysis or death.
