3 minNews
Louisiana girl, 8, dies after suspected brain-eating amoeba infection
An 8-year-old Louisiana girl died Saturday from an infection linked to Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba health officials believe she contracted while swimming in Lake Claiborne.
An 8-year-old Louisiana girl died Saturday at a Ruston hospital from an infection linked to a suspected brain-eating amoeba, one day after celebrating her birthday. Lillian Smart's family confirmed her death in a statement posted Sunday morning on Facebook, saying the injuries to her brain were too severe for her body to recover from.
The Louisiana Department of Health announced Wednesday that a state resident had been hospitalized after becoming infected with Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba that can cause a rare and often deadly brain infection. State officials have not publicly identified Lillian as the patient referenced in the announcement, but her family said on social media that she had been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at a Ruston hospital and identified the amoeba as the cause of her illness.
The health department said the infection was most likely acquired while the patient was swimming in Lake Claiborne shortly before becoming ill. A representative for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Naegleria fowleri causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, an extremely rare brain infection that develops when contaminated water enters the nose and the amoeba travels to the brain. People cannot become infected by swallowing contaminated water, and the amoeba is not found in saltwater or properly chlorinated swimming pools.
Symptoms typically begin with headache, fever, nausea and vomiting before progressing to a stiff neck, seizures and coma. Symptoms generally appear about five days after infection, and the disease can lead to death within about one to two weeks.
About 97% of people who develop PAM die from the infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reported two PAM cases nationwide last year. Of the 173 infections documented over roughly the past 90 years, nearly 91% occurred in July and August.
Louisiana Department of Health records identify three previous deaths associated with Naegleria fowleri in the state since 2011. Two happened in 2011: a 20-year-old man in St. Bernard Parish died after using tap water to rinse his sinuses, and a 51-year-old woman in DeSoto Parish died after using tap water for a similar purpose. In 2013, a 4-year-old boy contracted the amoeba while visiting a home in St. Bernard Parish, where he had played on a slip-and-slide. State officials later reported that CDC testing detected Naegleria fowleri in the parish water system.
The Smart family's statement expressed profound grief. "Everyone did everything they could to keep her here," the family said. "We are heartbroken and honestly do not know what to do next. How do we put one foot in front of the other without our girl?"
