8-year-old Louisiana girl dies from a rare brain-eating amoeba found in warm freshwater

Notably, an 8-year-old girl in Louisiana has died after being infected by an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that is discovered in warm freshwater, her family states.

Key points

• The Louisiana Department of Health remarked last week that the state had experienced its first confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection since 2013.
• "Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus, " her parents, Daniel and Rebecca Smart, wrote Sunday in a public post on Facebook.
• Lillian Smart died over the weekend after being diagnosed with an infection from Naegleria fowleri, according to a spokesperson for her family.

What happened

Lillian Smart died over the weekend after being diagnosed with an infection from Naegleria fowleri, according to a spokesperson for her family. Health authorities describe it as a "brain-eating amoeba" that thrives in freshwater bodies around the U.S. And can shoot up the nose and cause an infection that almost always proves fatal. On average there are fewer than 10 cases annually in the U.S.

"Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus, " her parents, Daniel and Rebecca Smart, wrote Sunday in a public post on Facebook. "The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from. Everyone did everything they could to keep her here."

Notably, the Louisiana Department of Health remarked last week that the state had experienced its first confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection since 2013. The department, which did not identify Smart, does not comment on individual cases or specific patients, according to spokesperson Stacey Grow.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around 8-year-old Louisiana girl dies from a rare brain-eating amoeba found in warm point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.