An eight-year-old girl from Ruston, Louisiana died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba infection, state health officials confirmed. The child had swum in Lake Claiborne before falling ill.
Louisiana officials confirmed the infection was caused by Naegleria fowleri, according to reporting by The Guardian, the Louisiana Illuminator, and NOLA.com. The amoeba is found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, and hot springs, and infections are extremely rare but almost always fatal.
The child's family had publicly asked for prayers after her diagnosis became known. She died following her battle with the infection.
Naegleria fowleri enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that infections typically occur when people swim or dive in warm freshwater. The amoeba cannot be spread from person to person.
Lake Claiborne is a reservoir in Lincoln Parish in northern Louisiana. It is a popular recreational site during summer months.
Health officials in Louisiana confirmed the case through CIDRAP, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. Cases of Naegleria fowleri infection in the United States number only a handful each year, making this death among the rare confirmed infections of 2026.
