CDC Apologizes for Hiding Ticks on Poppyseed Muffin for Lyme Disease PSA

Look, we understand that the Centers for Disease Control exists in part to scare the shit out of everyone, issuing periodic warnings that petting a guinea pig or eating dried coconut can give us a week’s worth of diarrhea or that romaine lettuce could straight-up kill us. But even the organization itself acknowledges that maybe it went a little too far when it sprinkled parasitic insects all over a poppyseed muffin.

On Friday, the CDC tweeted a photo of what looked like a normal muffin—at least until you read the sentences that accompanied it. “Ticks can be the size of a poppy seed,” it cheerfully reminded everyone. “Can you spot all 5 ticks in this photo? Learn how to prevent tick bites.”

Yeah, the CDC hid five ticks among those poppyseeds. And if you want to glance at this harrowing photo for more than a millisecond, you’ll see all of them just above a horizontal split in the now-inedible baked good.

Although learning how to avoid ticks is important information, the majority of people who saw this cursed image responded by shouting “CAN YOU ALSO PREVENT ME FROM LOOKING AT THIS MUFFIN?” and then by deleting Twitter from their phone. (OK, maybe that was just us). Hundreds of people who were unsettled by the way the CDC chose to make its point quickly responded, and no one thought that desecrating a muffin was the most effective approach.

Muffin aversion aside, the photo might’ve repulsed people to the point that they didn’t see the link to the CDC’s website site, which does have a lot of seasonally appropriate info about how to avoid ticks.

Although both adult and younger nymph ticks can both carry Lyme disease, nymphs are much smaller and can more easily be overlooked if they’ve attached themselves to your skin. (And yeah, nymphal ticks are the ones that are the size of poppyseeds; in its quest to turn everyone off all seeds, the CDC compares adults to sesame seeds).

Three days later, the CDC realized its mistake and offered an apology. “Sorry we ticked some of you off! Don't let a tick bite ruin your summer,” it said.

There’s still time to ensure that the rest of the summer will be OK, but damn, poppyseed muffins are ruined forever.