What's fuzzy, pink, and just plain cuddly? The Influenza A H1N1 virus, of course... or at least, the stuffed toy crafted in the pathogen's likeness. You can get your very own swine flu toy made by GIANTmicrobes online or, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta. The Telegraph reports:
The stuffed toy has been designed to represent a "cuddlier" version of an H1N1 microbe, complete with a pig-like nose and eyes... [doll company GIANTmicrobes] describes its toys as "great learning tools, as well as amusing gifts for anyone with a sense of humour." Each purchase comes with an information leaflet with details of the relevant infection.
If a stuffed replica of just one pathogen isn't enough for you, don't despair: The company makes a variety of other dolls, from the snakelike Ebola virus to the bean-shaped, Black Death-causing Yersinia pestis bacteria. There's something strange about asking for smallpox or the swine flu as a gift...but that won't stop this blogger, whose birthday is (ahem) coming up next week. Related Content: Discoblog: A Bishop Calls for Holy Water Ban to Stop Swine Flu Spread Discoblog: Want to Up Your Chances of Dying From Swine Flu? Be Obese Discoblog: Worried About Swine Flu? Perhaps Your iPhone Will Save You
Image courtesy of GIANTmicrobes
