Louisiana girl, 8, dies after contracting suspected brain-eating amoeba linked to lake swim
Lillian Smart's family says the 8-year-old's brain injuries were too severe to survive after contracting Naegleria fowleri while swimming in a lake.
TL;DR
- Lillian Smart, an 8-year-old girl, died on Saturday from an infection linked to a suspected brain-eating amoeba.
- Health officials believe she contracted Naegleria fowleri while swimming in a northern Louisiana lake.
- The amoeba causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare and often deadly brain infection.
- Symptoms typically include headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, progressing to stiff neck, seizures, and coma.
- Approximately 97% of people who develop PAM die from the infection.
- Louisiana has recorded three previous deaths associated with Naegleria fowleri since 2011, often linked to tap water use or recreational water activities.