Technology and Science24 August, 20263 min read
Lillian Smart Dies After Naegleria Fowleri Infection From Lake Claiborne
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Eight-year-old Lillian Smart died from Naegleria fowleri infection. Infection likely contracted while swimming in a warm freshwater lake near Ruston.
Rare amoeba death
An eight-year-old girl in Louisiana, Lillian Smart of Ruston, died after being diagnosed with an infection from Naegleria fowleri, described by health authorities as a “brain-eating amoeba” that thrives in warm freshwater bodies around the U.S. The Louisiana Department of Health said the infection was likely contracted while swimming in Lake Claiborne in north Louisiana, and the infection can lead to a fatal illness known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis when water carrying the amoeba travels up the nose and into the brain. The Associated Press reported that on average there are fewer than 10 cases annually in the U.S., and that between 1937 and 2025 there have only been approximately 180 confirmed infections in the U.S.
“On average there are fewer than 10 cases annually in the U.S.”
The New York Times said Lillian died at a Shreveport-area hospital on Saturday, a day after turning 8, and that her death was announced on Sunday on the Facebook page Love for Lillian. The New York Times also noted that the Louisiana Department of Health said there was a confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection in a Louisiana resident most likely acquired while swimming in Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish, in northwest Louisiana.
Family and officials speak
Lillian Smart’s family, including Daniel and Rebecca Smart, wrote on Facebook that “Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,” and said “The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from.”
The Associated Press quoted Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry writing on X, “Heartbroken over the news of Lillian’s passing,” while the Louisiana Department of Health spokesperson Stacey Grow said the department does not comment on individual cases or specific patients.
The New York Times reported that in a statement on Friday, Lillian’s 8th birthday, her family said doctors described significant swelling “as a result of the parasite.”
CNN said the Louisiana Department of Health announced that the organism was likely contracted while swimming in Lake Claiborne about 30 miles northwest of Ruston, and that the infection “can’t cause infection if swallowed and does not spread from person to person.”
CNN also described that Lillian had been in intensive care after being admitted for a fever that progressed into double vision, according to a post on her mother’s Facebook.
What health officials warn
Health authorities emphasized that Naegleria fowleri is “naturally occurring” and that there is “no routine environmental test for Naegleria fowleri in bodies of water,” according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The Manila Times said the amoeba becomes dangerous in water that stays over 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), and that for years it has been seen almost exclusively in the summer in the southern part of the country. The Associated Press reported that Naegleria fowleri is found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds throughout the U.S., and that the infection cannot spread from person to person.
FOX Weather said the CDC warned that if water containing the amoeba goes up the nose and to the brain, it can cause an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, and that nearly everyone who gets this infection dies. FOX Weather also said Louisiana Department of Health officials urged residents to avoid visiting Henderson Lake after a cyanobacterium, or a blue-green algae bloom, was observed, adding that LDH recommended avoiding areas where a bloom is visible or suspected and that “You cannot tell whether a bloom is producing toxins just by looking at it.”