Doctors urge parents not to skip vitamin K shot for newborns
Health experts are warning parents against skipping the routine vitamin K injection for newborns, noting a 77% increase in refusals since 2017. The shot is essential for preventing severe internal bleeding and potential brain damage in infants.
Why it matters
The rise in vaccine and medical procedure hesitancy poses a direct threat to infant health and highlights a growing gap between medical consensus and parental choice.
FARGO — The National Institutes of Health recently found that parent refusals of a vitamin K shot given to newborns have spiked by 77% since 2017.
Experts say refusing the shot can lead to severe and unpredictable internal bleeding, particularly in the brain, which can cause permanent disability or even death.
The shot, not a vaccine, is a routine and safe injection given two to six hours after birth. It provides necessary nutrients that are naturally low in newborns, which helps blood clot.
The shot prevents a life-threatening bleeding condition that causes a type of stroke when a blood vessel bursts in the brain, which can lead to death or lifelong brain problems.
Dr. Dane Hammer of Sanford Health Fargo Pediatrics said it's completely safe for newborns.
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