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8-Year-Old Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba
24 Aug
Summary
- An 8-year-old girl died from a brain-eating amoeba infection.
- She contracted the infection while swimming in a northern Louisiana lake.
- The amoeba causes a fatal brain infection with a high mortality rate.
An 8-year-old girl, Lillian Smart, died on Saturday at a Ruston hospital following a severe infection linked to the brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri. Her family confirmed her passing on social media, citing insurmountable brain injuries.
Health officials suspect Lillian contracted the amoeba while swimming in a northern Louisiana lake shortly before falling ill. Naegleria fowleri causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a devastating infection where the amoeba travels to the brain, leading to rapid deterioration and a high fatality rate.
This infection, commonly found in warm freshwater, has led to three other reported deaths in Louisiana since 2011. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and is not contracted by swallowing contaminated water. Symptoms, including headache, fever, and vomiting, can appear within days and often prove fatal within two weeks.
