04/09/2026
We answer your questions about vaccines with just the facts.
Today’s question: Are Vitamin K shots dangerous for newborns?
THE CLAIM: Social media posts claim the newborn Vitamin K shot is dangerous, and that it can cause cancer, infertility, or genetic damage.
THE FACTS: Babies are born with very little Vitamin K, which blood needs in order to clot. That is normal, but it leaves newborns briefly vulnerable. Without protection, a small number of babies bleed dangerously in their first weeks and months of life, sometimes into the brain, and often with no warning signs beforehand.
A single shot at birth prevents nearly all of these bleeds. It has been routine practice in the United States since 1961, and the babies affected today are overwhelmingly the ones who did not receive it.
Decades of use have shown no link to cancer, infertility, or genetic problems. The claim traces back to a single small study from 1992 that later research was unable to reproduce. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization both continue to recommend the newborn Vitamin K shot.
Read more: https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/jtf_topics/are-vitamin-k-shots-dangerous-for-newborns/
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