A growing number of parents across the United States are refusing standard preventive treatments for their newborns, including vitamin K injections, hepatitis B vaccines, and antibiotic eye ointment, driven by deepening mistrust of the medical establishment and the spread of health misinformation online.
The trend is backed by a major study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in December 2025 by researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The team analyzed records from more than five million births at 403 hospitals across all 50 states between 2017 and 2024.
They found that the share of newborns not receiving the routine vitamin K shot rose from 2.92% in 2017 to 5.18% in 2024, a 77% increase over eight years. That means roughly 200,000 infants in the study went without the injection, according to CNN.
Vitamin K shots have been standard practice since 1961 and are given to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a rare but potentially fatal condition. Newborns are born with very low levels of the vitamin, and their developing guts cannot produce it until they begin eating solid foods around six months of age.
Before the injections became routine, as many as 1 in 60 infants experienced this type of bleeding. Research shows that babies who do not receive the shot are 81 times more likely to suffer severe bleeding compared to those who do.
The consequences have already turned deadly. During a February meeting of the Idaho chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, doctors reported eight infant deaths linked to vitamin K deficiency bleeding in the state over the previous 13 months.
Doctors say the refusals extend beyond just the vitamin K shot. Parents who decline it are far more likely to also refuse the hepatitis B vaccine and erythromycin eye ointment, which prevents infections that can cause blindness, the Maternal and Child Health Journal reported.
"I believe these families genuinely care for their infants," said Dr. Kelly Wade, a neonatologist in Philadelphia, in an interview with the Associated Press. "However, I hear from families that decision-making is challenging due to conflicting information."
Parents cite several reasons for their decisions, including concerns about side effects, a preference for natural birth experiences, and a desire to avoid causing their baby pain.
Social media has amplified these concerns by spreading misconceptions and promoting unregulated oral vitamin K alternatives that physicians say are poorly absorbed by infants.
The issue crosses political lines. Dr. Steven Abelowitz, a pediatrician in Orange County, California, told the AP that mistrust exists "among conservative families, but there is also significant skepticism from the liberal side."
Meanwhile, a federal advisory committee appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted to eliminate the longstanding recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination at birth, though a federal judge has temporarily blocked that action.
Pediatricians say the path forward lies in patient, nonjudgmental conversations with families. "Every parent I work with desires the best for their child," said Dr. David Hill, a pediatrician and researcher in Seattle, as per the Associated Press.
