An 8-year-old girl in Louisiana, USA, has died after being infected with a rare, so-called “brain-eating amoeba” following a swim in a lake. According to health officials, Lillian Smart was likely infected with the deadly amoeba (Naegleria fowleri<\/i>) while swimming in Lake Claiborne.<\/p>\n
The girl had been hospitalized since August 15 and passed away just one day after her birthday. As family members shared on social media, the brain damage was so severe that despite the best efforts of doctors, she could not be saved. In the wake of the tragedy, local businesses launched a dedicated charity campaign to support the family.<\/p>\n
Naegleria fowleri<\/i> is an extremely rare but almost always fatal amoeba that lives in warm freshwater\u2014lakes, rivers, and ponds. It enters the human body when water gets into the nose and travels directly to the brain, causing a severe infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Notably, infection does not occur by swallowing contaminated water, nor is it contagious between humans. Additionally, it is not found in salt water or properly chlorinated pools.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about 180 cases of amoeba infection have been recorded in the U.S. since 1937. However, experts warn that due to global warming and the climate crisis, the “brain-eating amoeba” has begun appearing in regions of the U.S. (such as the North and West) that were previously atypical for its presence.<\/p>\n