The most likely source of the rare form of meningitis is a lake at Willow Springs Water Park which has been been closed down.
Willow Springs Water Park has been closed down.
A 12-year-old girl is reportedly in a critical condition in
Arkansas after contracting a brain-eating parasite.
Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) confirmed she had contracted the disease, which it described as a "very rare form of meningitis caused by an amoeba associated with warm rivers, lakes and streams".
The department said the most likely source of the infection, caused by an organism known as Naegleria fowleri, was a sand-bottom lake at Willow Springs Water Park in Little Rock.
The water park was closed at the request of health authorities.
"For the thousands of people who love Willow Springs, we will be taking this time to determine the feasibility of installing a solid bottom to the lake. We will not ever reopen as a sand-bottom lake."
Health officials said it was only the sixth known case of the disease in Arkansas in 40 years.
"The risk of infection from Naegleria in Arkansas is exceedingly low," Dirk Haselow, state epidemiologist at ADH, said.
"Swimming is a healthy summertime activity and we do not want to discourage people from swimming.
"If concerned about Naegleria, avoid swimming, diving or other activities that push water up the nose, especially in natural waters when temperatures are high and water levels are low."
The department advises swimmers to keep their heads out of the water, to use nose clips or hold their noses shut and to avoid stirring up dirt or sand at the bottom of shallow freshwater areas to avoid contracting the disease.
