Picture credit: CDC
Well, this one will gross you out! Can you find the ticks on this poppy seed muffin? There are five of them.
These pictures are from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The federal agency posted them on its Facebook page this week to warn people these insects can be as tiny as a poppy seed.
So you need to look closely at your clothing after you've been out in the woods or walking in a field to find them. Experts say it’s important to realize how little the bloodsucking insects are.
TICKBORNE ILLNESSES
Ticks are known to spread more than a dozen debilitating, even deadly types of bacteria through their bites to animals and people.
The diseases linked to ticks range from Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever to Tickborne relapsing fever, which certainly doesn’t sound good.
Check out this list the CDC published with a rundown of what tick-related illnesses have been identified in your neck of the woods. And this guide shows you what ticks live where, and what do to if you get bitten.
HOW TO PREVENT TICK BITES
Now that summer is just around the corner, more people will be heading outside, and the ticks will be waiting.
The best way to keep the little buggers off you, the Feds say, is to: Check your clothing closely for ticks, shower soon after being outdoors and use insect repellent products. Here’s more information on preventing tick bites.
SPOILER ALERT DID YOU FIND THE FIVE TICKS?
SPOILER ALERT: We looked and they are on the middle of the upper part of the muffin, together in a cluster, you can see their little legs.
Photo credit: CDC
Bet you feel like running out to the bakery now for poppy seed muffins?
