RUSTON, Louisiana – An eight-year-old girl in Louisiana has died after contracting a rare and usually fatal infection caused by the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri, with health officials saying exposure most likely occurred while she was swimming in Lake Claiborne.
Lillian Smart, from Ruston, died on Saturday, a day after celebrating her eighth birthday, according to a statement from her family.
“Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,” the family said in a post on the “Love for Lillian” Facebook page, adding that the injuries to her brain had become too severe for her body to recover.
The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed on August 19 that a state resident had been infected with Naegleria fowleri. Health officials said the exposure most likely occurred during swimming at Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish.
Family friends subsequently identified the infected resident as Lillian, according to reports.
Girl was hospitalised for several days
Lillian had been receiving treatment in hospital since August 15.
Her family said medical teams had made efforts to save her, but the infection caused severe brain damage.
The death prompted an outpouring of support in Ruston, with more than two dozen local businesses reportedly donating portions of their sales to assist the Smart family during the medical crisis.
What is Naegleria fowleri?
Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba that can live in warm freshwater, including lakes, rivers and ponds.
In extremely rare cases, contaminated water entering through the nose can allow the amoeba to travel to the brain, causing primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a severe infection of the brain and its surrounding tissues.
The infection is generally associated with exposure to warm freshwater, particularly during hot weather.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about 180 cases have been identified in the United States since 1937.
Although the infection is exceptionally rare, it is usually fatal.
Infection does not spread between people
Health authorities stress that people cannot contract Naegleria fowleri infection simply by swallowing contaminated water.
The amoeba causes infection when contaminated water enters the nose. It does not spread from one person to another.
The organism is not found in saltwater and is not expected to survive in properly maintained and adequately chlorinated swimming pools.
Warm water linked to higher risk
Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm freshwater, meaning infections are more commonly reported during the warmer months and in southern parts of the United States.
Health experts have also raised concerns that changing climate conditions could expand the geographic areas where the amoeba can survive, potentially increasing exposure in regions where infections have historically been uncommon.
However, infections remain extremely rare compared with the number of people who swim in lakes and other freshwater bodies each year.
Previous cases reported in the US
Louisiana has recorded only a small number of Naegleria fowleri infections in recent years.
In 2023, an Arkansas child died after contracting the infection following exposure at a country club splash pad in Little Rock.
The death of Lillian has once again drawn attention to the rare but devastating infection and the precautions people can take when swimming in warm freshwater.
Health authorities generally advise people to avoid forcing water up the nose when swimming in warm freshwater and to exercise particular caution in hot weather.
Lillian’s death has left her family and the Ruston community mourning a child whose life was cut short by an infection that remains extraordinarily uncommon but devastating when it occurs.
