An 8-year-old girl from Louisiana has died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, likely while swimming in a lake. Lillian Smart’s family confirmed her death on the Love for Lillian Facebook page, stating that the injuries to her brain were too severe for her body to recover from.
Lillian was infected with the amoeba after swimming in Lake Claiborne, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The department warned that Naegleria fowleri can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare and nearly always fatal infection that occurs when water enters the nose and the amoeba travels to the brain.
Symptoms of PAM include severe headaches, fever, and vomiting, which can progress to a stiff neck, seizures, and a coma. Lillian’s mother reported that the girl had been admitted to hospital with a fever and double vision before her condition worsened.
The community in Ruston, where Lillian was from, held a fundraiser to mark her eighth birthday, just a day before her death. Local business owner Patricia Willis described Lillian as a happy child who always had a smile on her face. Louisiana senator John Kennedy expressed his condolences to Lillian’s family, saying that he and his wife were heartbroken at the news of her death.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health, there have been only 180 known cases of PAM in the U.S. from 1937 to 2025, with just three cases of Naegleria fowleri occurring in Louisiana during that period. The agency has warned swimmers to take precautions, including keeping their heads out of the water and plugging their noses while swimming, to minimize the risk of infection.
