Doctors across the nation are alarmed that skepticism fueled by rising anti-science sentiment and medical mistrust is increasingly reaching beyond vaccines to other proven, routine, preventive care for babies.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which analyzed more than 5 million births nationwide, found that refusals of vitamin K shots nearly doubled between 2017 and 2024, from 2.9% to 5.2%. Other research suggests that parents who decline vitamin K shots are much more likely to refuse getting their newborns the hepatitis B vaccine and an eye ointment to prevent potentially blinding infections. Rates for that vaccination at birth dropped in recent years, and doctors confirm that more parents are refusing the eye medication.
“I do think these families care deeply about their infants,” said Dr. Kelly Wade, a Philadelphia neonatologist. “But I hear from families that it’s hard to make decisions right now because they’re hearing conflicting information.”
“But I hear from families that it’s hard to make decisions right now because they’re hearing conflicting information.”
That doctor says “but fools do stupid things, like ignore doctors” in a way that’s just too charitable.
To be fair, that’s a stupid claim here:
pushing unregulated vitamin K drops that doctors warn babies can’t absorb well
The drops are less effective than the drops but both are still in the same order of magnitude, that is, reducing the risk to below 1/100,000. Not perfect but far from “can’t absorb well”. They are the standard in some countries.
From a public health perspective, doctors should just offer these (but now regulated) drops when parents decline the more effective injection. It’s significantly better than leaving it up to the parents to YOLO it and potentially under- or overdose it or not do it at all.
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Doctors voted republican… reap what you sow
Do you have a citation for this? I’m in CA but none of the doctors I work with are Republicans. I know I just have a small sample size thats why asking for citations.
I have found its some of the nurses that are a mixed bag 😩
I’m in the southern US. I’ve heard a couple of the doctors I work with say negative things about Trump, but none have said anything positive. Mind you, I work in mental health, and people in this field tend to skew left.
It is indeed the nurses who are more a mixed bag. I’ve even met a couple who have become antivaxxers since COVID, and it boggles my mind.
How do you think this negatively affects doctors? I bet they’re giving their kids all these treatments. It’s not their hurting for work, these treatments are not paying their salaries.
Doctors probably make more money dealing with the sick kids.
That’s not how doctor salaries or healthcare works.
