Lyme disease is on the rise in the US and the CDC is trying to spread awareness by showing just how hard it can be to detect a tick.

They recently posted this photo on Twitter of five tiny ticks sitting on a poppyseed muffin, and my appetite is now completely ruined.

At first glance, it's pretty tough to differentiate the ticks from the seeds.

If you squint hard enough and zoom in, you can see that the ticks (obviously) have legs and are sitting towards the middle of the muffin top, but it's pretty disturbing just how small they can be.

A good friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease after being bitten by a tick sometime last summer or early fall. Her doctors said the virus had been in her blood for at least six months, which is mildly horrifying. She never saw a tick on her body or suspected anything was wrong until she started feeling sore and fatigued all the time.

NPR has a load of information on how to prevent and recognize tick bites. They also have a map showing just how much Lyme has spread in the US over the last few years, and it appears that the QC has seen a significant increase in cases. Remember to always check yourself for ticks after visiting wooded areas, and keep in mind, as shown above, they might be very difficult to see.

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