The CDC may have ruined poppyseed muffins forever with gross tick photo
Be warned. This poppyseed muffin may come with some extra crunch.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a gross photograph of the baked good covered in five ticks on Twitter last week:
Ticks can be the size of a poppy seed. Can you spot all 5 ticks in this photo? Learn how to prevent tick bites. https://t.co/ATtrY7YFoSpic.twitter.com/gBm4tw2qmf
— CDC (@CDCgov) May 4, 2018
“Can you spot all 5 ticks in this photo?” the caption asks.
The CDC linked to a page on its website explaining how people can protect themselves from being bitten by the small arachnids, which can carry Lyme disease among other illnesses.
But the CDC’s use of muffin poppyseeds to show the tiny size of the critters caused consternation online and sent the post viral:
Ugh I will never be able to eat poppyseed again
— Matthew Martin (@hyperplanes) May 4, 2018
Potlucks at the CDC must be a hoot.
— Sage Blackwood, Radical Left Dem (@urwalder) May 5, 2018
A TOTAL ITCH HUNT!
— Brian Brettschneider (@Climatologist49) May 4, 2018
WHO AT THE CDC WAS TRAUMATIZED BY MUFFINS AS A CHILD?
— Hillary Warned Us to Vote Early (@HillaryWarnedUs) May 4, 2018
What the hell CDC
— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) May 5, 2018
The CDC remained unrepentant, however, and on Monday shared this lighthearted apology:
Sorry we ticked some of you off! Don't let a tick bite ruin your summer. Protect yourself: https://t.co/zT2cMR2kKW.
— CDC (@CDCgov) May 7, 2018
The CDC’s tweets were an imaginative way to bring attention to the serious issue of tick, flea and mosquito bites. Earlier this month, the agency revealed the number of Americans contracting diseases from bites had more than tripled from 27,388 cases in 2004 to 96,075 in 2016.
RELATED: How to avoid tick bites:
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.