Eight-year-old girl dies from rare brain-eating amoeba after Louisiana swim

An eight-year-old girl from Ruston, Louisiana, has died after becoming infected with a rare brain-eating amoeba. Lillian Smart passed away on Saturday, one day after her birthday, her family said in a public social media post, describing the brain damage as too severe for her to recover from and saying they were heartbroken.

Lillian had been hospitalized since 15 August. On 19 August, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed that a state resident had been infected with Naegleria fowleri, most likely after swimming in Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish. Family friends later confirmed to local media that Lillian was the patient in question.

Rare but almost always fatal

Naegleria fowleri infections are extremely rare, with only a handful recorded in Louisiana since 2011, though the infection is almost always fatal once contracted. Since 1937, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded only about 180 cases nationwide.

The amoeba thrives in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers and ponds, and is most often found in southern states during summer. It is not present in salt water or in properly maintained, chlorinated swimming pools. Experts say the climate crisis is causing the amoeba to appear in regions where it was previously uncommon, including the northern and western United States.

Infection occurs when contaminated water enters the nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain and cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis. It cannot be contracted by drinking contaminated water, and it does not spread between people.

More than two dozen local businesses in Ruston have donated a portion of their sales to support the Smart family. In a similar case in 2023, a child in Arkansas died after being infected at a splash pad.