8-Year-Old Girl Dies from Brain-Eating Amoeba Infection in Louisiana, Family Says
An 8-year-old girl in Louisiana has died after being infected by an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that is found in warm freshwater, her family says.
TL;DR
- An 8-year-old girl, Lillian Smart, died in Louisiana from an infection with the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri.
- The infection was likely contracted from swimming in Lake Claiborne, a warm freshwater body.
- Naegleria fowleri causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a nearly always fatal brain infection.
- This is Louisiana's first confirmed case since 2013, with fewer than 10 such cases annually in the U.S.
- Infection occurs when contaminated water is forced up the nose and reaches the brain.
- The CDC recommends holding your nose or wearing a nose clip when entering freshwater and keeping your head above water in hot springs to reduce risk.