Louisiana brain-eating amoeba infection at Lake Claiborne

The United States — Indiana Department of Health confirmed a Naegleria fowleri infection in a Louisiana resident, likely acquired while swimming in United States — Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish. Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba found in warm freshwater, causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but nearly always fatal brain infection. The department issued a Health Alert Network advisory on August 18 to healthcare providers. The infection is extremely rare, with only 180 known U.S. cases from 1937 to 2025, and Louisiana has had three cases. The amoeba cannot be spread person-to-person or by swallowing water, and it is not found in properly chlorinated pools. Health officials urge swimmers to use nose clips and avoid submerging heads in warm freshwater.