Health · 24 August 2026

Eight-year-old girl dies from rare brain amoeba in Louisiana

Illustration: AI-generated for editorial context. Not photographic evidence.

Lillian Smart, a girl from Ruston, died on Saturday after falling ill with Naegleria fowleri, a rare brain-eating amoeba. The Louisiana department of health stated that she probably contracted it following a swim in Lake Claiborne in Claiborne parish. The amoeba thrives in warm freshwater, is almost always fatal, and has only caused about 180 cases in the US since 1937.

By BriefTea Editorial · 24 August 2026 at 6:15

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