An 8-Year-Old Girl Died From a Rare Amoeba After Swimming in a Louisiana Lake

Lillian Smart, 8, of Ruston, Louisiana, died on 23 August, one day after her birthday. A tiny organism called Naegleria fowleri — found in warm freshwater — entered her nose and destroyed brain tissue. The Louisiana Department of Health tied her illness to Lake Claiborne. She had been hospitalized since 15 August. Only about 180 US cases have been recorded since 1937.