It's not just vaccines - parents are refusing other routine preventive care for newborns
KSL.com • • general
Key Points:
- Refusals of newborn vitamin K shots, which prevent dangerous bleeding, have nearly doubled nationwide from 2.9% in 2017 to 5.2% in 2024, raising alarm among pediatricians concerned about increased health risks for infants.
- Parents declining vitamin K shots are also more likely to refuse other preventive measures like the hepatitis B vaccine and erythromycin eye ointment, both critical for protecting newborns from serious infections and complications.
- Misinformation and mistrust fueled by social media, anti-science sentiment, and political influences contribute to parents' refusal of routine newborn care, often rooted in a belief that natural approaches are safer despite medical evidence to the contrary.
- Pediatricians emphasize respectful, individualized conversations
