Arkansas toddler dies of rare brain-eating amoeba infection likely contracted at country club splash pad

An 16-month-old Arkansas toddler died from a rare brain-eating amoeba infection likely contracted at a country club splash pad.

In a press release, the Arkansas Department of Health confirmed that the toddler had died from an infection caused by the amoeba, also known as Naegleria fowleri. Officials said that the young toddler was likely exposed to the brain-eating amoeba while playing in a splash pad at a Little Rock, Arkansas, country club. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a writer on the breaking news team for Fox News Digital. You can reach her on Twitter at @s_rumpfwhitten.

The Health Department sent water samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which confirmed that one sample had traces of the amoeba, the press release said.

The Country Club of Little Rock closed its pool and splash pad voluntarily and there is no ongoing risk to the public, officials said. The state's Health Department noted that only about three people in the United States get infected each year, but that the infections are usually fatal.