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Eight-year-old Louisiana girl dies after rare amoeba infection
Eight-year-old Lillian Smart, who lived in Louisiana, died over the weekend after contracting the rare Naegleria fowleri infection. Health officials said she may have been infected while swimming in Lake Claiborne and clarified that the disease does not spread through swallowed water or person-to-person contact.
Eight-year-old Lillian Smart, who lived in Louisiana, died over the weekend after contracting the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, which can cause a rare brain infection. Smart, who was from Ruston, died shortly after turning 8.
The Louisiana Department of Health said a state resident may have come into contact with the amoeba while swimming in Lake Claiborne, located approximately 48.28 kilometers northwest of Ruston. The department's statement pointed to a possible route of infection in Smart's case.
How does the amoeba infection spread?
Naegleria fowleri, which lives in warm freshwater, can cause a neurological infection when contaminated water enters the nose and reaches the brain.
The amoeba does not cause infection when water is swallowed and does not spread from person to person. The Louisiana Department of Health said the disease is extremely rare, but cases are almost always fatal.
Statement from the Smart family
Smart's family said the damage to their daughter's brain was so severe that her body could not recover. The family had previously said that the child experienced severe brain swelling because of the parasite.
Cases reported in the United States
According to data from the Louisiana Department of Health, 180 confirmed Naegleria fowleri infections were reported in the United States between 1937 and 2025.
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