Swine Flu Toy Sold at CDC Headquarters

ATLANTA -- A toy sold at a gift shop at the Centers for Disease Control's headquarters is raising eyebrows on Internet social networking websites.

The fuzzy, stuffed toy that resembles a microbe of the H1N1 virus, commonly know as "swine flu" is sold in the CDC's gift shop, along with several other toy versions of microbes.

The CDC welcomes visitors offering tours of permanent and temporary exhibits. The gift shop is open during limited hours on select days of the week.

An image of the stuffed Swine Flu microbe was posted Tuesday morning on Twitter. Since then, it has been forwarded around the popular messaging site along with messages of befuddlement and enjoyment.

11Alive has contacted the CDC to inquire about the toy. As of Tuesday afternoon, that call had not been returned and no comment had been provided by the CDC.

The toy is marketed and sold by a company called GIANTmicrobes. "Each of our GIANTmicrobes comes with an image and information about the real microbe it represents. They make great learning tools, as well as amusing gifts for anyone with a sense of humor," the company says on its website.

"The Common Cold, The Flu, Sore Throat, Stomach Ache, Brain Cell, E. coli, Kissing Disease, Ulcer, Martian Life, Beer & Bread, Black Death, Ebola, Flesh Eating, Sleeping Sickness, Dust Mite, Bed Bug, Bookworm" are all among the "best sellers", according to the GIANTmicrobes website.

The Swine Flu stuffed microbe sells for $7.95 on GIANTmicrobes.com.