Babies aren’t born with enough vitamin K, which is essential to clot blood. This is why it’s recommended in Australia that all newborns receive a vitamin K injection at birth.

Without it, they’re at risk of vitamin K deficiency bleeding, a rare but life-threatening condition.

However, two large studies from the United States and Sweden have found a rising proportion of newborns with no record of receiving the shot. Neither study recorded why.

Australia has no comparable national data, and a surveillance project that monitored vitamin K deficiency bleeding in infants ended in 2017.

Two states do keep count, though, and both show a decline. Queensland Health figures obtained by the ABC show 98.3% of babies received vitamin K in 2016, falling to 95.5% by 2025 – meaning more than 2,500 babies went without last year alone.

Tasmania’s rate fell from 99% to 97% over the same period. No other state or territory publishes the figures.

What is the vitamin K injection?

First, it’s not a vaccine, it’s a vitamin preparation.

Newborns have low stores of vitamin K because very little crosses the placenta during pregnancy. In newborns, the gut bacteria that produce vitamin K are not yet well-established. Levels in human milk are also low.

For healthy newborns, Australia’s guidelines recommend a one milligram injection at birth – usually in the thigh muscle.

There is also an oral option. This has........

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