By Coastal Carolina News Staff Writer
August 29, 2026
A second child has been infected with the brain‑eating amoeba this week, only days after a central North Carolina child was hospitalized with the same illness. Both cases involve Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis, the rapid infection caused by the freshwater organism Naegleria fowleri.
The North Carolina child, identified only as a minor from central North Carolina, remains in critical condition. Health officials say the exposure occurred during freshwater recreation in warm, shallow conditions where the amoeba can thrive.
Shortly afterward, eight‑year‑old Lillian Smart of Louisiana died following exposure in Lake Claiborne. Her symptoms advanced in the same pattern seen in Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis, with sudden onset and fast neurological decline.
Two pediatric infections in two states within the same week are unusual, as Naegleria fowleri cases typically occur as isolated events. The United States averages zero to eight cases per year.
Environmental conditions in North Carolina this month, elevated water temperatures, shallow areas, and disturbed sediment mirror those present in Louisiana at the time of the fatal case.
Officials emphasize that overall risk remains extremely low but note that the North Carolina case confirms local exposure is possible during peak recreation periods.
Public‑health investigators are reviewing water conditions, temperature ranges, sediment levels, and recent low water depths to determine whether shared environmental factors contributed to both infections.
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