World
Australia: online misinformation drives down newborn vitamin K injection rates
In Australia, increasing numbers of parents are refusing vitamin K injections for their newborns, fueled by misinformation spread by influencers on TikTok and Instagram. In Queensland, the vaccination rate has fallen from 98.3% in 2016 to 95.5% in 2025, leaving more than 2,500 babies unprotected. Without vitamin K, newborns face the risk of vitamin K deficiency bleeding—a rare but potentially fatal hemorrhagic disorder. Danielle McMullen, president of the Australian Medical Association, identifies online misinformation as "probably the main cause" of parental refusals.