Vitamin K deficiency rising due to vaccine refusal

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WPVI) -- Parents of newborns may be passing up a lifesaver for their infants.

A growing number of parents are opting out of Vitamin K shots when they opt out of vaccines just after birth.

Vitamin K is essential for helping blood clot and bones form.

Doctors at Nationwide Children's Hospital say they've seen a number of babies with internal bleeding who didn't get the shot.

Dr. Karyn Kassis recalls treating a 10-week-old who was fussier than normal, and had small flecks of blood in his diaper.

"We noticed the baby was really pale," she says.

"We did some blood work and found out that the baby was actually bleeding internally into its brain," she says.

Four similar cases have been reported recently in Tennessee.

Dr. Kassis says even experienced healthcare providers might not recognize it.

The one-time injection has been standard care since 1961, so doctors and nurses may never have seen a case.

"Babies can present with such vague symptoms that unless emergency providers were aware this was happening, they might forget to ask and they might go down the wrong diagnostic workup," says Dr. Kassis.

Very little Vitamin K is passed along from mothers to newborns, even in breast milk.

Experts say the one-time injection has likely saved thousands of babies since it was introduced in 1961.