Lawmakers Call for CDC to Track Vitamin K Shot Refusal, Cite ProPublica Report

Key Points:

• Two members of Congress, Rep. Kim Schrier and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, have urged the CDC to address the rising issue of families refusing the vitamin K shot for newborns, which has led to preventable bleeding and deaths.
• The vitamin K shot, recommended since 1961 to prevent bleeding disorders in newborns, is seeing increased refusal rates amid growing mistrust of medical institutions and misinformation, with refusal rates exceeding 5% in 2024.
• Federal and state agencies currently do not track vitamin K shot refusal or related bleeding cases, hindering efforts to understand and combat the problem, prompting calls for improved data collection and public health campaigns.
• Health officials, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, emphasize the need for clear messaging and leadership support to encourage vaccination, noting that babies without the shot are 81 times more likely to develop dangerous bleeding.
• Lawmakers criticized HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for not publicly endorsing the vitamin K shot and called for stronger federal action to protect newborns and provide accurate information to parents.