An 8-year-old girl named Lillian Smart has died in Louisiana after being infected by Naegleria fowleri, a rare brain-eating amoeba that thrives in warm freshwater. The infection was likely contracted while swimming in Lake Claiborne in north Louisiana. Between 1937 and 2025, the United States has recorded approximately 180 confirmed infections, with fewer than 10 cases on average annually. Louisiana had not experienced a case since 2013. The amoeba becomes dangerous in water above 77 degrees Fahrenheit, and extreme heat combined with lower water levels this summer in the Gulf South created favorable conditions for its growth. The infection is nearly always fatal and cannot spread from person to person.
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