More parents refusing vitamin K shots for newborns, putting babies at risk, LI doctors say
Newsday • • health
Key Points:
- Federal data shows a 77% increase in parents refusing vitamin K shots for newborns from 2017 to 2024, raising concerns among Long Island doctors about increased vulnerability to a rare but potentially fatal bleeding disorder.
- Vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) can cause severe internal and brain bleeding in infants, which the shot prevents by aiding blood clotting; refusal has led to hospitalizations at Stony Brook Children's Hospital.
- Doctors attribute the rise in refusal to misinformation spread via social media and growing distrust in medical authorities, linking it to broader skepticism about vaccines and health policies.
- The vitamin K shot, recommended since 1961 and required in New York State, is a safe, preventive measure without evidence linking it to
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