'RFK Jr spillover effect' seeing fewer newborns get crucial vitamin K

More Australian parents refusing vitamin K for newborns amidst online misinformation Sun 26 Jul 2026 at 7:02am , updatedSun 26 Jul 2026 at 7:11am More Australian parents are refusing to give their babies vitamin K at birth because of misinformation peddled by influencers, experts say. Babies are born with very small amounts of vitamin K, which helps their blood to clot. Without receiving vitamin K at birth, they are at risk of developing vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a rare but potentially fatal condition that affects about one in 100,000 babies. Although it's not a vaccine, vitamin K is the subject of anti-vax campaigns and misinformation being spread online. "Unfortunately, social media misinformation is likely the leading cause of parents and families being concerned or having questions," Australian Medical Association president Danielle McMullen said. "The qualifications of the people giving this information can be unclear and some of it now is AI generated." On TikTok and Instagram, influencers from the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom claim vitamin K contains dangerous chemicals or has links to jaundice or childhood cancers. An influencer with close to 38,000 followers suggests vitamin K is a "murder weapon", while another who describes herself as a midwife campaigner claims there are links between vitamin K and leukaemia. "One of my concerns is the influence that social media has," University of Sydney Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health Elizabeth Elliott said. "If it identifies people who are anti-vaccination then the algorithm may well target them with information to say, 'Do not give your baby vitamin K'. "Anecdotally it does appear they go together, home birth, anti-vaccination and the refusal of vitamin K." In 2016, 98.3 per cent of babies received vitamin K in Queensland but that fell to 95.5 per cent in 2025, which means more than 2,500 babies missed out last year. Data from the Queensland Health Department shows the proportion of babies receiving vitamin K by injection or oral dose has been steadily decreasing since the COVID-19 pandemic. Tasmania follows a similar trend, with data from the state's health department revealing 99 per cent of babies were given vitamin K in 2016, but that fell to 97 per cent nine years later. Other jurisdictions don't keep vitamin K use data, but health professionals suspect a downward trend nationally. "That fits with what my colleagues in pediatrics and general obstetrics are seeing, is more families concerned about vitamin K and choosing not to give that at the time of birth," Dr McMullen said. "It will be important to watch what data shows here in Australia because even one life lost is one life too many when this is entirely preventable." Home birth, anti-vax and vitamin K Babies are most vulnerable to developing vitamin K deficiency bleeding in the first eight weeks of life, especially if they are born via instrumental delivery, such as forceps or vacuum extraction or have an underlying liver disorder. "There are three times of onset for vitamin K deficiency bleeding, in the first day of life [early], the first week of life [classic] and 2 weeks to 6 months of age [late onset]," Professor Elliott said. "Babies don't have a store of vitamin K at birth and cannot produce sufficient vitamin K, it doesn't cross the placenta from the mother, and there are very low quantities in breast milk." A 24-year study by the Australian Pediatric Surveillance Unit identified 58 babies with vitamin K deficiency bleeding between 1993 and 2017. There were six deaths, all due to intracranial haemorrhage, and three associated with home delivery and parental refusal of vitamin K. "This is a rare disorder, however it might have dreadful consequences including significant ongoing disability and death from intracranial bleeds," Professor Elliott said. The intramuscular vitamin K injection has been routinely used since the 1960s with only one case of a potential allergic reaction, according to the Australian Medical Association. "The risks of giving this are really low and certainly outweighed by the benefit of preventing potentially life-threatening bleeds," Dr McMullen said. Refusal becoming more common Despite decades of safety data, vitamin K refusal by parents is becoming more common overseas as well, particularly in the US where experts say there is an association with home births and withholding vaccination. America's own Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior refused to recommend vitamin K shots for newborns, for which he was heavily criticised during an Energy and Commerce Health subcommittee hearing in April. American Democratic politician and former pediatrician Kim Schrier said: "It's called the RFK Junior spillover effect, you spread misinformation, you scare parents and confuse them … you are suggesting it is unsafe." Mr Kennedy said: "I've never said anything about it, so I don't see why they're listening to me." A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which analysed about 5 million health records, found the number of vitamin K refusals nearly doubled between 2017 and 2024 from 2.9 per cent to 5.2 per cent. Lucy Chapin is an accredited nurse and midwife based in the US state of Vermont. She said colleagues had seen an increase in the number of babies presenting with complications related to vitamin K deficiency bleeding. "We can't predict which babies will be affected, you can have a trauma-free, physiologic, hands-off birth and a vaginal birth, but your baby can still have a bleed," she said. After seeing medically debunked videos about vitamin K online, Ms Chapin decided to share information about the medication and its benefits on her Instagram account. That's when a mother named Kellie reached out to her, wanting to share her story about how she almost lost her son Austin to vitamin K deficiency bleeding when he was 15-days-old. "Kellie had concerns about what was in the vitamin K injection and despite her home-birthing midwife recommending it, she made the decision not to give it to her son," Ms Chapin said. "She first noticed there was a scratch on his cheek that wasn't scabbing over and that his heel prick kept bleeding a little bit, then she noticed he also had a bruise and was becoming fussy." After he was taken to the emergency department at a nearby hospital, doctors noticed that Austin was bleeding on the brain and he was given an intravenous dose of vitamin K. "According to Kellie he [Austin] is thriving and he's a toddler now, so there were no concerning side effects." Need for more education Health professionals are encouraging parents or soon-to-be parents to speak to their doctor or midwife if they have any concerns or questions about vitamin K before giving birth. "Ask these questions while you are pregnant, no one needs the stress of making a decision in those few hours or days after birth," Dr McMullen said. Professor Elliott believes that health professionals could also benefit from more information and skills about vitamin K to ensure they are effectively communicating the benefits to parents. "Perhaps health professionals aren't feeling confident enough themselves about what information they should be communicating to parents and we need more education and training," Professor Elliott said. "We need to be communicating better to parents about the risks of not giving vitamin K and not giving vaccinations and try to allay their concerns that these vaccinations and vitamin k are not safe for their child."