The newborn shot more babies are going without | The Receipts - Dataspheres AI

The newborn shot more babies are going without THE RECEIPTS The newborn shot more babies are going without November 10, 2026 What the vitamin K shot is Wha...

The newborn shot more babies are going without THE RECEIPTS The newborn shot more babies are going without November 10, 2026 What the vitamin K shot is What the vitamin K shot is — Babies are born with very little vitamin K, which the blood needs in order to clot — The standard is one injection in the thigh, within six hours of birth — Pediatricians in the United States have recommended it for every newborn since 1961 — Without it, bleeding can begin inside the skull or the gut with no outward warning When the bleeding happens When the bleeding happens When the bleeding happens When the bleeding happens When the bleeding happens The two studies, in numbers The two studies, in numbers Nov 5, 2026 the day both studies were published, in JAMA and in JAMA Pediatrics 5.2 million infants in the JAMA study: 5,240,780 born at 35 to 43 weeks in more than 2,000 US hospitals 11.0 million infants in the JAMA Pediatrics study: 11,000,782 aged 0 to 6 months 2017 to 2025 the nine years of hospital records both studies read How many newborns went without it How many newborns went without it — In 2017, 3.1 per cent of the newborns in the larger cohort had no recorded vitamin K — In 2025 that was 6.8 per cent: the share more than doubled over the nine years — The second study counts the same movement from the other side: 97.7 per cent of newborns got the injection in 2017, and 95.0 per cent in 2025 — Both studies read hospital births, so home births are under-represented in each Recorded cases, year by year Recorded cases, year by year — The second team counted 189 cases of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in 2017 — In 2025 they counted 1,764 - the single biggest jump is 903 in 2024 to 1,764 in 2025 — Across the nine years they counted 5,217 cases in all — The authors put the rise in the rate of the condition at 215.7 per cent over the period What the bleeding records show What the bleeding records show — Any recorded bleeding by six months: 288.0 per 10,000 births without the injection, against 185.9 with it — Bleeding inside the skull: 33.0 per 10,000 without it, against 13.2 with it — That is a difference of 102.0 bleeding events per 10,000 births — These are events recorded in hospital systems, not every event that occurred The size of the difference The size of the difference 47% more recorded bleeding by six months, after the authors adjusted for other differences between the two groups 2.4 times the adjusted figure for bleeding inside the skull, the form that can cause lasting harm 1 in 114 newborns going without the injection before one extra bleeding event is recorded 73 times the adjusted figure for a diagnosis of vitamin K deficiency bleeding itself Where 2026 is heading Where 2026 is heading — A separate analysis by Truveta Research read 1,026,375 infants born between January 2019 and June 2026 — It found 5.2 per cent of January 2026 births with no recorded vitamin K, and 8.1 per cent in June 2026 — That is a 57.4 per cent increase inside six months — This one is a company reporting on its own dataset, not a peer-reviewed study, and it is counted that way here The three questions the CDC answers The three questions the CDC answers — Does breast milk supply enough? The CDC says it cannot, even when the mother takes vitamin K herself — Does the shot cause childhood cancer? A 1990 English study reported an association, and the CDC says later, larger studies found no evidence for the link — Is the preservative dangerous? The CDC says the small amount of benzyl alcohol in the shot is not enough to be dangerous — The page carrying those answers was last reviewed on January 17, 2025 What the pediatricians say about the drops “But babies can’t absorb the oral form very well, so it doesn’t work well to prevent VKDB. A vitamin K shot is the safest and best option for all newborns.” — American Academy of Pediatrics, "Where We Stand: Administration of Vitamin K", updated June 30, 2026 What the researchers said “Similar to recent measles outbreaks, we are seeing real-world implications of growing mistrust of doctors and public health professionals.” — Elizabeth Wolf, pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Richmond and an author of the JAMA Pediatrics study, speaking to Reuters, November 6, 2026 What the studies do not show What the studies do not show — Infants born before 35 weeks were excluded from the larger cohort, so it says nothing about babies born early — Home births are under-represented, so the share going without may be higher than either study counts — The records cannot tell whether a baby was given oral drops instead of the injection — The authors note bleeding may be written down more readily when vitamin K was not given What changed is not the injection but how many newborns go without it What changed is not the injection but how many newborns go without it Two studies published on November 5 read nine years of US hospital records. The share of newborns with no recorded vitamin K went from 3.1 per cent to 6.8 per