Overview
- A preliminary systematic review of 25 studies reports that infants who do not receive the vitamin K injection are 81 times more likely to develop vitamin K deficiency bleeding.
- Among reported VKDB cases, approximately 63 percent involved brain hemorrhages, about 40 percent led to lasting neurological disabilities, and around 14 percent were fatal.
- National data cited in recent reporting show refusals reaching 5.2 percent in 2024, up from 2.9 percent in 2017, even as most individual hospitals still report rates below 1 percent.
- State and hospital snapshots reflect increases, including Minnesota rising from 0.9 percent in 2015 to 1.6 percent in 2019, with staff in several states observing more parents declining the shot.
- Refusal strongly correlates with broader newborn‑care and vaccine hesitancy, with parents far more likely to also decline hepatitis B vaccination and ocular prophylaxis, prompting calls for earlier prenatal counseling.