Story perspectives

Misinformation Spurs 77% Rise in Vitamin K Refusals, Infant Deaths

5/7/2026

Summary

Story summary

Social-media misinformation is driving a rise in parents refusing newborn vitamin K injections, causing preventable infant bleeding deaths.
In 2024, 5 percent of U.S. newborns missed vitamin K, a 77 percent rise since 2017.
A JAMA study of >5 million births linked vitamin K refusal to an 81-fold bleeding risk and one-in-five deaths.
Hospitals such as St. Luke’s in Idaho reported >20 percent refusal and infant deaths in four states, prompting calls for a vitamin K deficiency reporting system.

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Story summary

Social-media misinformation is driving a rise in parents refusing newborn vitamin K injections, causing preventable infant bleeding deaths.
In 2024, 5 percent of U.S. newborns missed vitamin K, a 77 percent rise since 2017.
A JAMA study of >5 million births linked vitamin K refusal to an 81-fold bleeding risk and one-in-five deaths.
Hospitals such as St. Luke’s in Idaho reported >20 percent refusal and infant deaths in four states, prompting calls for a vitamin K deficiency reporting system.