Naegleria fowleri in Louisiana: 8-Year-Old Girl Dies After Lake Swim, Brain-Eating Amoeba Suspected

Eight-year-old Lillian Smart died Saturday at a Ruston hospital after suffering a severe brain infection linked to Naegleria fowleri, a rare amoeba that can cause a potentially fatal condition known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Health officials believe the Louisiana girl contracted the infection while swimming in Lake Claiborne. She died one day after celebrating her eighth birthday.

The Louisiana Department of Health had announced Wednesday that a state resident was hospitalised after contracting Naegleria fowleri, but officials have not publicly identified Lillian as the patient, New York Post reported. Her family said on social media that she was receiving treatment in a pediatric intensive care unit and identified the amoeba as the cause of her illness. Who Is Meliza Campos-Sanchez? Florida Mother Arrested After Setting Kitchen Fire, Pouring Hot Wax on Daughters (Video).

Family Confirms Lillian's Death

The Smart family announced Lillian's death in a statement posted Sunday morning on Facebook. “The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from,” the Smart family said in a statement posted Sunday morning on Facebook. “Everyone did everything they could to keep her here. We are heartbroken and honestly do not know what to do next. How do we put one foot in front of the other without our girl?”

Lillian died at a Ruston hospital after spending time in intensive care, according to her family. The death came a day after she celebrated her eighth birthday.

Health Officials Link Infection To Lake Swimming

The Louisiana Department of Health said the case it announced was most likely acquired while the patient was swimming in Lake Claiborne shortly before becoming ill. State health officials have not publicly identified the patient.

How Naegleria Fowleri Causes Infection

Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic amoeba that can cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM. The infection can occur when contaminated water enters the nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain. People cannot become infected by swallowing contaminated water. The amoeba is generally associated with warm freshwater and is not found in saltwater or properly chlorinated swimming pools.

Initial symptoms of PAM typically include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. As the infection progresses, patients can develop a stiff neck, seizures and coma. Symptoms generally appear about five days after infection, although the timing can vary. The disease can lead to death within about one to two weeks. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 97% of people who develop PAM die from the infection.

Louisiana Department of Health records identify three previous deaths associated with Naegleria fowleri in the state since 2011. Two occurred in 2011. A 20-year-old man in St. Bernard Parish died after using tap water to rinse his sinuses, while a 51-year-old woman in DeSoto Parish died after using tap water for a similar purpose.

In 2013, a 4-year-old boy contracted the amoeba while visiting a home in St. Bernard Parish, where he had played on a slip-and-slide. State officials later reported that CDC testing detected Naegleria fowleri in the parish water system.

Infections Remain Extremely Rare

Despite the severity of PAM, infections caused by Naegleria fowleri are uncommon. The CDC reported two PAM cases nationwide last year. Of the 173 infections documented over roughly the past 90 years, nearly 91% occurred in July and August.

The seasonal pattern is associated with warmer temperatures, when conditions can be more favorable for the amoeba in freshwater. Lillian's death is therefore a rare but serious reminder of the potential health risks associated with exposure to warm freshwater, particularly during the summer months.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2026 06:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).