A new study encompassing over 5 million newborns reveals that infants who skip the standard vitamin K shot face significantly heightened risks of infant brain bleeding and fatal hemorrhages. These findings arrive as the refusal rate for the decades-old blood-clotting injection climbed to 6.8% in 2025. Meanwhile, addiction specialists report an influx of patients seeking help for unregulated kratom derivatives, and researchers warn that unrecorded provider dismissals in female medical charts could train artificial intelligence to perpetuate gender biases.
Key points
Skipping routine newborn vitamin K injections sharply increases the likelihood of severe…: Skipping routine newborn vitamin K injections sharply increases the likelihood of severe bleeding and related infant mortality.
Addiction treatment clinicians are reporting an increase in patients seeking assistance f…: Addiction treatment clinicians are reporting an increase in patients seeking assistance for unregulated kratom products and semi-synthetic derivatives.
Incomplete patient medical records risk embedding existing diagnostic biases against wome…: Incomplete patient medical records risk embedding existing diagnostic biases against women into emerging artificial intelligence healthcare models.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
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Congratulations on making it to the end of the week. This is Jonathan Wosen, STAT’s West Coast Biotech & Life Sciences Reporter. We’ve got an eclectic lineup for you today, including a look at how declining vitamin K shots are impacting infants, why medical records often don’t tell the full story about women’s health, and results on health and science-related ballot measures across the country.
Oh, and a study that unearths evidence of cannabis use from a 2,800-year-old Siberian tomb (pun intended). Let’s dig in.
143%
That’s how much higher the risk of brain bleeding during the first six months of life was in infants who didn’t receive a vitamin K shot, compared to those who did. Babies are born with low levels of vitamin K, which plays an essential role in forming blood clots. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics has for more than 60 years recommended that newborns get the one-time shot shortly after birth. But medical mistrust…
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Singapore's ageing workforce has prompted calls from medical professionals and advocacy groups for employers to implement targeted workplace policies for middle-aged female staff. Because women make up nearly half of the domestic labour pool, untreated physical and emotional symptoms frequently diminish job performance and jeopardize career retention. A persistent lack of managerial awareness often leaves employees without adequate flexibility during this multi-year biological transition.
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