Eight-year-old dies after contracting rare brain-eating amoeba in Louisiana

An eight-year-old girl from Ruston, Louisiana, died on Saturday, a day after celebrating her birthday, after contracting Naegleria fowleri, a rare brain-eating amoeba. State health officials said the exposure most likely occurred while she was swimming in Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish. The child had been hospitalized since August 15.

The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the infection on August 19, noting that Naegleria fowleri infections are almost always fatal and extremely rare, with only a handful of cases reported in the state since 2011. The amoeba thrives in warm freshwater and can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis when contaminated water enters the nose and reaches the brain.

"Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus," the family wrote in a Facebook post, adding that the brain injuries were too severe for recovery.

Local businesses in Ruston donated portions of their sales to support the family. Health experts said the organism is not found in salt water or properly chlorinated pools, and it does not spread between people. They also warned that climate change may expand the amoeba’s range into regions where it was previously uncommon.