“Is the pneumococal vaccine really necessary?”

Yes

I strongly recommend the prevnar 13 vaccine at 2,4,6,and 12 months to help prevent meningitis, pneumonia, and ear infections. It is a dead vaccine and you cannot catch the illness from the shot. It is important to have the vaccines early so your baby can make immunity to pneumoccal infections

Pneumococcal vaccine covers only 13 of over 90 known serotypes of pneumococcus. The current vaccine has caused a shift in serotypes. It appears that the nasopharynx commonly has at least one pneumococcal serotype as a resident microbe. The theory is that the vaccine may help avoid those serotypes that were responsible for most illness at one time. The last several patients that I had With pneumococcal infection were non vaccine serotypes (the CDC has not been helpful in helping me to obtain serotyping unfortunately or I would have more data) nevertheless pneumococcus can cause meningitis and pneumonia and be quite severe infection. Studies showing efficacy of vaccine are older and probably do not account for shift in serotypes. All my infectious disease specialists endorse the vaccine

This vaccine prevents meningitis, a potentially fatal disease. You should be getting your information from your doctor, not the internet.

The PCV pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is one of the most impressive and important vaccines that were devised.
I have single-handedly seen the decrease in serious bacterial infections, ear infections, pneumonia, UTIs since this vaccine was introduced.
My oldest son was born overseas and the vaccine wasn’t yet offered there. I travelled back to the USA in order to obtain it for him.

Yes - the pneumococcal vaccine is "necessary" - it helps prevent diseases caused by the pneumococcal bacteria which can result in pneumonia or ear and blood infections or meningitis. All of these infections have dramatically decreased in the population since the instigation of this vaccine. I highly recommend you giving this vaccine to your baby.

Yes