Archive · 25 Aug 2026
Louisiana Girl Dies After Rare Amoeba Lake Infection
Lillian Smart was an eight-year-old girl from Louisiana.
She became sick after being infected by a rare amoeba called Naegleria fowleri.
Officials believe she encountered it while swimming in Lake Claiborne.
The amoeba can enter the body through the nose when someone swims in warm freshwater.
It can travel to the brain and cause a very serious infection.
Lillian went to the hospital on August 15 and died on August 22.
Her parents said her brain injuries were too severe for her to recover.
The infection does not spread from one person to another, and people in her community supported her family.
Eight-year-old Lillian Smart of Ruston, Louisiana, died after contracting Naegleria fowleri.
Health officials said the infection was most likely acquired while swimming in Lake Claiborne.
Lillian was hospitalized on August 15, and Louisiana confirmed a resident’s infection on August 19.
Her parents, Daniel and Rebecca Smart, said severe brain injuries prevented her recovery.
The infection is extremely rare, cannot spread between people, and is nearly always fatal.
- Who
- Lillian Smart, an eight-year-old from Ruston, Louisiana, died after contracting Naegleria fowleri; her parents were identified as Daniel and Rebecca Smart.
- What
- She died from a rare, usually fatal brain infection associated with Naegleria fowleri.
- When
- Lillian was hospitalized on August 15, the infection was confirmed in a Louisiana resident on August 19, and she died on August 22.
- Where
- The likely exposure occurred at Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish, north Louisiana; Lillian lived in Ruston.
- Why
- Health officials said the infection most likely followed exposure to the amoeba while swimming in warm freshwater.
- Victim
- Lillian Smart, age 8
- Infection
- Naegleria fowleri, associated with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis
- Likely exposure site
- Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
- Hospital admission
- August 15
- Death
- August 22
- Louisiana case history
- The Louisiana Department of Health said this was the state's first confirmed infection since 2013
- United States case history
- Approximately 180 confirmed infections were reported in the United States between 1937 and 2025
- Community support
- More than 24 Ruston businesses contributed part of their sales to support the Smart family
