US vaccine changes lead some parents to question other newborn care

By Deena Beasley and Julie Steenhuysen

Jan 29 (Reuters) – U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s remaking of childhood vaccination policies is fueling resistance in labor and delivery wards, where doctors say parents are increasingly hesitant to allow other routine care for new babies.

Half a dozen pediatricians in five states said they are spending more time talking to parents about standard treatments given to newborns, including vitamin K to prevent dangerous bleeding and a topical antibiotic that protects against eye infections.

“We have declines and resistance when it comes to any intervention,” said Dr. Rana Alissa, president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

She said recent actions by the Department of Health and Human Services have created “pure confusion” for parents, heightening distrust of the medical community.

A spokesman for HHS said it “rejects” the premise that vaccine policy has had any impact on the use of newborn treatments such as vitamin K and erythromycin eye ointment.

Kennedy, with the support of President Donald Trump, has rolled back decades-old guidance for routine childhood vaccination against six infectious diseases including influenza and hepatitis B, saying their use should instead be decided between parents and healthcare providers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which had recommended that all children be vaccinated against 17 diseases, in January gave a broad endorsement to only 11 immunizations.

VITAMIN K USE DECLINES

Conflicting information from “social media, mom groups, or people who are publishing things because of one experience here or there is really hard for parents to sort through,” said Dr. Katharine Clouser, pediatrician at Hackensack Meridian Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in New Jersey.

In 2024, over 5% of newborns were not given vitamin K, which has been recommended since 1961, up from less than 3% in 2017, according to a recent study in JAMA.

It attributed the decline to a lack of understanding about the need for the injection and concerns about pain and side effects – issues underpinned by mistrust that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Babies aren’t born with enough vitamin K, which helps with blood clotting… it is used up in pregnancy and it doesn’t cross the placenta very well,” Clouser said.

She said some parents will instead permit an oral version, although that is less effective.

“So as long as your baby has zero injuries in the first three months, six months of life, you’re good, even if you don’t get the vitamin K shot,” said Dr. Emily Landon, an infectious diseases doctor at University of Chicago Medicine.

“However, if something happens and your baby has some sort of injury… then they die because of bleeding and blood loss.”

EYE INFECTION PREVENTION

Doctors said more parents are also declining erythromycin eye ointment that is routinely applied to newborns to prevent a potentially blinding eye infection caused by sexually transmitted bacteria such as gonorrhea and chlamydia. It is recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the CDC, the AAP, and other medical organizations.

The treatment is “just an ointment,” but some parents believe the risk of infection is too low to warrant its use, said Dr. Elizabeth Mack, a pediatric critical care physician in Charleston, South Carolina. “They don’t trust us.”

She said some resistant parents can be convinced that the antibiotic is necessary, but she has to be careful citing studies because “the word study is scary now.”

The potential infections could be passed on from the mother.

“Nobody wants to think they have chlamydia, but the fact of the matter is, our tests for chlamydia aren’t great,” Landon said. “Babies shouldn’t lose their eyesight because mom didn’t realize they had chlamydia.”

KEEPING BABIES HEALTHY

Pediatricians stress that they share with parents the aim of keeping children healthy.

“We truly believe that what is best is that babies be protected by receiving these critical medications at birth as well as to continue to receive all vaccinations at the recommended times,” said Dr. Melissa Stockwell, professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The AAP recommends routine immunization to protect against diseases including respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, influenza, and meningococcal disease – all dropped from the CDC’s universal recommendation.

Pediatricians emphasized that parents should ask questions and understand the health benefits of vaccines and other preventive care.

“We encourage all parents to come in and talk,” said Dr. Michael Glazier, a pediatrician in Jacksonville, Florida. “We have a vocal minority of parents who question vaccines.”

At the same time, he said, recent measles outbreaks in Texas and South Carolina have prompted others to ask to vaccinate early, worried that “they won’t be able to get them in the future.”

In a press call on Monday, Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases, said parents have been bombarded by anti-vaccine messages from various corners of the internet.

“Now, unfortunately,” he said, “they’ve got a megaphone from the federal government.”

(Reporting By Deena Beasley in Los Angeles and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot)