Louisiana 8-year-old dies from lake-linked brain-eating amoeba

An eight-year-old Louisiana girl has died after contracting a rare and typically fatal brain-eating amoeba following a swim in a lake, her family and health officials confirmed. Lillian Smart of Ruston died in a hospital on Saturday, August 22, 2026, just one day after celebrating her eighth birthday. The Louisiana Department of Health announced last week that a state resident had been hospitalized with an infection from Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic organism found in warm freshwater. The agency stated the infection was most likely acquired while the individual was swimming in Lake Claiborne.