An eight-year-old girl has died in Louisiana after contracting a rare and almost invariably fatal brain infection believed to have been picked up while swimming in Lake Claiborne. Lillian Smart died on Saturday, one day after celebrating her birthday, her family confirmed on a Facebook page dedicated to her.
The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed on 19 August that a state resident had been infected with Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that thrives in warm freshwater between 25°C and 46°C and causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Lillian had been hospitalised since 15 August.
Only about 180 cases of the infection have been recorded in the United States since 1937. In 2023, an Arkansas child died after exposure at a splash pad in Little Rock. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy said he and his wife were "heartbroken" at the news.