Lillian Smart died Aug. 22 after health officials said a confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection was most likely acquired at Lake Claiborne.
RUSTON, La. — An 8-year-old Ruston girl whose family said she was battling a rare Naegleria fowleri infection died Saturday, days after Louisiana health officials reported that a confirmed infection was most likely acquired while swimming in Lake Claiborne.
Lillian Smart had been hospitalized since Aug. 15, according to local reporting. The Louisiana Department of Health announced Aug. 19 that a state resident had a confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection and said the person most likely encountered the amoeba while swimming in Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish shortly before becoming ill. The department did not identify the patient by name in its public health alert. Lillian’s family and local news reports later identified her as the child who was hospitalized.
Lillian died Aug. 22, one day after celebrating her eighth birthday. Her family announced her death Sunday on the public Love for Lillian social media page that had been providing updates during her hospitalization. “The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from,” the family said. The family said medical workers had done everything they could to keep her alive.
Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic, single-celled organism that occurs naturally in warm fresh water, including lakes, rivers, ponds, canals and hot springs. It can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, commonly known as PAM, when water containing the organism enters the nose and the amoeba reaches the brain. Health officials emphasize that the infection is extremely rare but nearly always fatal.
The infection does not occur simply from swallowing contaminated water, according to state and federal health officials, and it cannot spread from one person to another. The amoeba is also not found in salt water or in properly maintained and disinfected swimming pools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says infections have most often been associated with swimming or diving in warm freshwater during the summer.
The Louisiana Department of Health said symptoms often begin about five days after exposure but can start anywhere from one to 12 days later. Early signs can include severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. The disease can then progress quickly and cause neurological symptoms as the infection damages brain tissue. Because several early symptoms resemble bacterial meningitis, health officials say diagnosing the uncommon infection can be difficult.
The case drew widespread attention in Ruston while Lillian remained hospitalized. Local businesses and residents organized support for her family, and a Love for Lillian fundraiser was held Friday as the community marked her eighth birthday. Patricia Willis, a local business owner who knew Lillian, told KNOE that the girl was known for being happy and smiling wherever she went.
State officials described the infection as exceptionally uncommon. CDC surveillance data list 173 U.S. cases by state of exposure from 1937 through 2025. Most documented infections occurred during the warmer months, particularly July and August, when water temperatures are higher and people are more likely to take part in freshwater recreation.
Health officials said Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm freshwater and can occur naturally, making its presence difficult to predict at any particular location. The Louisiana health alert said there is no routine environmental test used to determine whether the amoeba is present in a natural body of water. The state identified Lake Claiborne as the most likely location of exposure in the confirmed case but did not say in its initial announcement that every area of the lake contained the organism.
The CDC describes PAM as a rare but rapidly progressing infection. Federal health officials track cases nationally and provide diagnostic and treatment support to doctors dealing with suspected infections. The agency says infections occur when contaminated water travels through the nose rather than through ordinary drinking or swallowing of water.
The Louisiana Department of Health’s Aug. 19 public alert did not identify Lillian by name, while her family and local reporting publicly connected her illness to the confirmed case. As of Sunday, the family’s announcement of her death marked the latest development in a case that had prompted an outpouring of support across the Ruston community.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.