Image by Wikipedia

A 10-year-old girl went swimming in a Lowcountry lake, possibly Lake Moultrie, got a little water up her nose and died just three days later.

The reason for this tragedy is shocking -- a tiny swarm of amoebae living in the warm fresh water got into the girl's central nervous system and caused primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. 

The Post and Courier reports that Naegleria fowleri amoeba are common in warm bodies of fresh water, but it's extremely rare for someone to be infected. Since 1962, only 111 cases in the United States were reported to the CDC. 

Regardless, it is still a harsh reminder to Lowcountry residents to be cautious when choosing wether or not to swim in area lakes, ponds