8-Year-Old Louisiana Girl Dies After Naegleria fowleri Infection
An 8-year-old girl from Louisiana died from a rare brain-eating amoeba infection likely contracted while swimming in Lake Claiborne, marking the state's first confirmed case since 2013.
An 8-year-old girl from Louisiana died over the weekend after being diagnosed with an infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a rare amoeba that can enter the brain through the nose when people swim in warm freshwater. The Louisiana Department of Health said the infection was probably acquired while the child was swimming in Lake Claiborne, and noted that the state has not recorded a confirmed case of the parasite since 2013.
The parasite, which thrives in water temperatures above 77°F (25°C), can cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a condition that is almost always fatal. U.S. health officials report fewer than ten cases per year, with roughly 180 confirmed infections nationwide between 1937 and 2025.
Governor Jeff Landry expressed condolences on the social media platform X, and a family spokesperson confirmed the child's death. The department added that the amoeba is naturally occurring, there is no routine testing of water bodies for it, and it cannot be transmitted from person to person.