Infant bleeding incidents rise as vitamin K refusals increase, studies show

Rates of life-threatening bleeding in U.S. infants have risen sharply since 2017, coinciding with an increase in parents declining the routine vitamin K injection at birth, according to two studies published in JAMA and JAMA Pediatrics. The research examined medical records for more than 11 million infants up to six months old between 2017 and 2025. During that period, the proportion of newborns receiving the vitamin K shot fell from 97.7% to 95%, while vitamin K deficiency bleeding cases nearly quadrupled. Overall, 5,217 bleeding events were recorded, and the rate in 2025 was about double the 2024 level.

"Now we’re stepping away from that and we’re seeing the consequences," said Dr. Steven Woolf, an epidemiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University. A separate analysis of more than 5.2 million births found the refusal rate for the vitamin K injection rose from 3.1% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2025, more than doubling over the period. Infants who did not receive the injection faced a 47% higher risk of bleeding within the first six months, more than twice the risk of brain bleeding, and an increased risk of death associated with bleeding. The authors estimate that for every 114 newborns who forgo the vitamin K shot, one additional bleeding event occurs. Health officials emphasized that the CDC continues to recommend the vitamin K injection but has not indicated plans to track refusals or bleeding incidents. "The findings call for clear messages from all levels of public health about the need for vitamin K," said Dr. Elizabeth Wolf, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Richmond. In June, Representative Kim Schrier and Senator Angela Alsobrooks urged the CDC to begin tracking these bleeding events.