Since 1961, American newborns have gotten a vitamin K shot at birth to help their blood clot. Two studies came out Thursday, one in JAMA and one in JAMA Pediatrics. Both say more parents are skipping the shot, and more babies are bleeding. The JAMA study tracked 5.2 million babies. It found the share who didn't get the shot more than doubled, from 3.1% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2025. Babies without the shot had a 47% higher risk of bleeding in their first six months, and more than twice the risk of a brain bleed. The JAMA Pediatrics study, from Virginia Commonwealth University, covered about 11 million babies. It found that the rate of vitamin K deficiency bleeding more than quadrupled from 2017 to 2025. Neither study proves the refusals caused the bleeding. The CDC doesn't track either one.

Babies Need This Shot

Doctors say the shot is simple, it works, and skipping it puts babies at risk.

Babies who skip the shot bleed more often. The JAMA authors estimate one extra bleeding event for every 114 newborns who skip the shot. "This is certainly evidence that more babies are not receiving vitamin K, and more babies are at risk of bleeding," said Dr. Kristan Scott, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. About 1 in 5 babies with vitamin K deficiency bleeding die, according to the CDC.

It isn't a vaccine. Babies' livers need vitamin K to make the proteins that clot blood. "It has nothing to do with vaccines," said Dr. David Hill, a pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Heather Burris, a neonatologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a study author, calls it "a simple pinprick of a shot." Some parents point to a black box warning. That warning covers adults who get high doses through an IV, not the small shot babies get.

Drops don't do the same job. The U.S. has no FDA-approved oral vitamin K for newborns, according to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Even repeated oral doses don't match the shot, the hospital says.

And Kennedy Made It Worse

Critics say Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s doubts about medicine are pushing parents to skip the shot, and the CDC should start counting.

Parents who distrust doctors are now refusing more than vaccines. "Similar to the recent measles outbreaks, we are seeing the real-world implications of growing mistrust of doctors and public health professionals," said Dr. Elizabeth Wolf, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Richmond who led the VCU study. Reuters reported that refusals sped up under Kennedy. He spent decades raising doubts about vaccines.

Critics say Kennedy won't speak up for the shot. At an April hearing, Rep. Kim Schrier, a Washington Democrat and pediatrician, asked Kennedy to reassure parents about the shot. "I've never said, literally never said, anything about it," Kennedy answered. Schrier replied, "That's exactly the point." She told him the doubt he's created "is causing parents to make dangerous decisions."

Two lawmakers want the government counting cases now. This summer, Schrier and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a Maryland Democrat, asked the CDC to track refusals and bleeding. "The CDC and HHS never responded," Alsobrooks told Reuters in September.

But HHS Says This Started Before Kennedy

The health department says the decline predates this administration, and the CDC still recommends the shot.

Federal health officials still recommend the shot. An HHS spokesperson said Thursday that the CDC still recommends vitamin K for newborns. The spokesperson wouldn't say whether the CDC will start tracking refusals or bleeding. In May, HHS told ProPublica that vitamin K at birth "remains the standard of care."

These doubts started before Kennedy, HHS says. "Concerns about vitamin K and declining trust in public health institutions predate this administration," said HHS spokesperson Grace Davis Jamison in September. HHS has blamed the Biden administration for the rise in refusals. It also rejects the idea that its vaccine policy pushed parents away from the shot. Kennedy has denied playing any role.

Still, Parents Have Their Reasons

Some doctors say families who refuse love their babies, and that taking time to listen helps.

Parents who say no have real worries. Some fear the preservative in the shot. Some worry the shot "creates trauma" for a newborn. Others think it's a vaccine. Dana Morrison, a Minnesota doula, gave her son oral drops instead. "It came from a space of really wanting to protect the bonding time with my baby," she told the AP. She later chose the shot for her daughter. She says she'd have chosen it for her son too.

Doctors say listening helps. "I do think these families care deeply about their infants," said Dr. Kelly Wade, a Philadelphia neonatologist. Dr. Heather Felton, a pediatrician at Norton Children's in Louisville, said it helps to "take that time and really listen and be able to provide some education."

Where This Lands

Doctors say the new data shows more babies are at risk of bleeding. Critics like Schrier blame Kennedy's doubts about medicine and want the CDC to count the cases. HHS says the CDC still recommends the shot and the mistrust started before this administration. Some doctors say the families saying no love their babies, and that taking time to listen and explain helps. For now, the CDC still isn't tracking refusals or bleeding, and HHS won't say if it will.

Sources