8-year-old girl dies from rare parasite after swimming in Louisiana lake
An eight-year-old girl from Louisiana has died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, which she is believed to have picked up while swimming in a local lake. Lillian Smart died from primary amebic meningoencephalitis on Saturday, just one day after her eighth birthday, her family said in a Facebook post. Her parents said doctors and loved ones did everything they could to save her, but the damage to her brain was too severe to survive, and they are now leaning on their Christian faith and community support as they grieve.
Lillian is thought to have been infected at Lake Claiborne, where the amoeba entered her body through her nose before travelling to her brain. Naegleria fowleri occurs naturally in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers, canals and ponds across the United States, and the infection it causes is nearly always fatal, though extremely rare, with only 180 confirmed US cases recorded between 1937 and 2025. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry offered condolences to the Smart family and the Ruston community, while Lillian's parents thanked well-wishers and asked for prayers for her brothers and family.
- Louisiana girl, 8, dies from rare brain-eating amoeba after lake swim
- Naegleria fowleri infection nearly always proves fatal
- Only 180 US cases recorded between 1937 and 2025
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Lillian Smart, an eight-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, died shortly after swimming in Lake Claiborne, a local freshwater lake. She had contracted Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic organism that lives naturally in warm freshwater and can enter the body through the nose, causing a rare but severe brain infection.
The infection, known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, is extremely rare but almost always fatal once it takes hold, as there is no reliable treatment once it reaches the brain. Only around 180 cases have been confirmed in the United States since records began in 1937, though cases tend to occur in warmer months when more people swim in lakes, rivers and ponds.
Lillian's death has drawn attention from local officials, including Louisiana's governor, and from her community, while her family has spoken publicly about their loss. The case has renewed public interest in the risks associated with swimming in untreated freshwater, even though such infections remain very uncommon.