An eight-year-old Louisiana girl has died after contracting a rare, typically fatal brain-eating amoeba following a swim in Lake Claiborne. Lillian Smart, of Ruston, died on Saturday, one day after celebrating her birthday, her family announced in a public Facebook post on the 'Love for Lillian' page. 'Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,' her family said in the post. 'The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from. Everyone did everything they could to keep her here. 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?'

The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed on 19 August that a state resident had been infected with Naegleria fowleri and said the exposure most likely occurred while swimming in Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish. Family friends later identified Lillian as the infected resident, according to local media reports. Naegleria fowleri infections are almost always fatal, so this outcome was about as surprising as a Louisiana summer being hot.

Lillian had been hospitalized since 15 August, KNOE reported. As her family faced the crisis, more than two dozen businesses in Ruston showed support and donated a portion of sales to the Smart family, according to the Facebook page. Because nothing says 'community solidarity' like giving a grieving family a percentage of your proceeds from selling, say, beignets.

Naegleria fowleri infections are extremely rare, with only a handful occurring in Louisiana since 2011. The amoeba flourishes in warm water and is most commonly found in southern states during the summer. Only about 180 cases have been identified in the US since 1937, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2023, an Arkansas child died after contracting Naegleria fowleri from a country club splash pad in Little Rock. Because nothing says 'carefree summer fun' like a brain-eating microbe at the local splash pad.

Naegleria fowleri can be found in warm freshwater across the country, including lakes, rivers, and ponds. It is not found in salt water or in properly maintained and chlorinated swimming pools. Experts say the climate crisis is causing the amoeba to pop up in parts of the US where it isn't typical, such as the north and west. It is likely to cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection that can develop when contaminated water enters the nose and the amoeba travels to the brain. People cannot become infected just by swallowing water containing Naegleria fowleri, and the infection does not spread from one person to another. So at least you can't catch it from a handshake, though you might want to reconsider that lake swim.