Where do they eat guinea pigs? Guinea pig
For many people, a guinea pig is cute and fluffy. pet. Few people know that the history of domestication and breeding began with the use of the guinea pig as a meat animal.
In some countries, even today, fried guinea pig is a traditional and quite common dish, and in the European and US markets, the meat of this animal is a delicacy.
Guinea pig is a source of tasty meat
To the countries where they eat guinea pigs, include Peru, USA, Guatemala, France, China, Thailand, Ecuador, Colombia and Chile. The meat of this animal can also be found in expensive restaurants and supermarkets in England, Ireland and Australia. In their homeland, Peru, guinea pigs are a traditional food. Roasted guinea pigs are prepared for weddings or as an everyday dish.
The meat of these small animals is very tender and aromatic, does not contain fat, is environmentally friendly and easily digestible.
In Peru and Ecuador, the government has even developed several special programs to popularize guinea pig meat among the population. The animals are small in size, fertile, and easy to feed, which means that even poor people who are unable to have pigs or sheep can provide themselves with constant, and most importantly, valuable meat. The authorities of the countries actively help farmers - they provide each family with a male and five to eight female animals. After just a few months, the number of animals almost doubles. With good and proper fattening, local Peruvian guinea pigs already weigh more than a kilogram at three to four months.
In the USA, guinea pig meat is prepared not only in expensive restaurants, but also in small cafes and restaurants. fast food. You can find frozen animal carcasses on the shelves of many stores. Every year the popularity of guinea pig meat is only growing - it is inexpensive, tasty and quick to prepare. Meat is most often imported from Peru, Ecuador or Chile.
However, in some regions of the country, farms for breeding large meat guinea pigs - kui - have begun to appear.
In France and England, fried guinea pig is more of a delicacy. Chefs note the tenderness of the meat and even create special recipes, depending on which country the guinea pig was delivered from.
According to chefs, animals from Peru are distinguished by less fatty meat, while those from Ecuador are more juicy and aromatic.
National dish of Peru
Baked or fried guinea pig is a national treat in Peru. The dish is called “kui”. It is prepared on holidays, for guests or just as part of a regular dinner. It all depends on the side dish and sauces served. Before cooking a guinea pig, the animal's carcass is thoroughly washed, rubbed with spices and left in a cool place for an hour or two.
To prepare you need:
- animal carcass,
- About one hundred grams of corn or regular flour,
- One onion, preferably red,
- One tomato
- A couple of potatoes
- A teaspoon of cumin,
- Salt with black pepper,
- A little sunflower oil,
- Hot chili or chili sauce,
- Medium lemon
- Two liters of water.
Mix flour with salt (half a teaspoon). Dissolve one tablespoon of salt and lemon juice in cold water. The guinea pig, previously sprinkled with pepper and salt, is placed in the marinade for another couple of hours. After the required period of time, the carcass is removed from the marinade, washed, sprinkled with black pepper and cumin, salted and breaded in flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan, put the guinea pig carcass in it, close the lid on top (preferably under pressure) and fry until a golden, even crust forms. In the same oil, fry chopped potatoes with onion rings. The finished guinea pig is served with chili, sprinkled with finely chopped onion and tomato, and with potatoes. For taste, you can sprinkle the meat with lemon juice.
Roasted Guinea Pig Recipe from Ecuador
To prepare another traditional South American dish you will need:
- Guinea pig carcass - 600 -700 grams,
- A few cloves of garlic
- A little cumin and anise,
- Ground cinnamon,
- Four tablespoons of sunflower or corn oil.
- Tablespoon lemon juice.
- A tablespoon of tequila,
- Sesame seeds - a tablespoon,
- A third of a glass of almonds
- Several medium tomatoes
- Two hot chili peppers
- Butter,
- A quarter liter of meat broth.
Cooking begins with preparing the marinade. To do this, crush the garlic cloves in a mortar, adding anise, a little cinnamon, cumin and two tablespoons of sunflower oil. The mixture is placed in a cold place. Next, the animal carcass is cut into portioned pieces and coated with a mixture of lemon juice, a spoonful of butter and tequila. Meat can be placed in the refrigerator for a period of several hours to a day. Sesame seeds and almonds are roasted over low heat.
Roasted nuts should be crushed in a mixer along with tomatoes (better to peel them first) and two chili peppers. The resulting aromatic mixture is mixed with a paste of garlic and cinnamon prepared in advance and fried on butter within a few minutes. Further pours in meat broth(can be replaced with chicken or even water, but the taste will be less rich). When the mixture boils, add the guinea pig meat. Cover the dish with a lid and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. At the end of cooking, the animal meat and sauce should be salted. Place the finished pieces of meat on rice or boiled vegetables, pour over the sauce and eat!
You most likely know the guinea pig as the fidgety pet that lives in a cage and eats alfalfa. Now, these rodents are increasingly being served as food in the United States.
South American restaurants on both coasts seem to be setting the trend, responding to the demands of mainly Andean expats on what is considered tasty and healthy food in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. Middle-class gourmets who want to try exotic delicacies also order, photograph and blog guinea pig dishes. These animals, which in Spanish are called " cues" - usually cooked whole, often grilled, sometimes deep fried. Many of the visitors eat every last bite, literally from head to tail.
But there's more to be gained from eating guinea pigs than just bragging rights to eat whatever you want. Activists say eating guinea pigs is good for the environment.
Matt Miller, an Idaho conservation scientist, says rodents and other small livestock provide an alternative to expensive beef. Miller, who is currently working on a book about the environmental benefits of eating non-traditional meats, took a trip to Colombia a few years ago. He says that at the time, pro-conservation groups environment, were concerned about the activities of local farmers who cut down forests to make way for new pastures for livestock - and these actions could cause soil erosion and water pollution.
“They encouraged people to move away from large-scale farming cattle to breeding guinea pigs,” says Miller. - Guinea pigs do not require pasture. They can be raised in the yard or in the house. They are docile and easy to raise.”
Heifer International is a Little Rock-based humanitarian organization that helps communities strengthen economies and streamline production. food products locally, also promotes guinea pig farming in Peru, Ecuador and Guatemala. Jason Woods, an associate with the nonprofit Americas Regional Program, says guinea pigs (which he says typically weigh more than 2 pounds) are twice as profitable to breed as cows based on food yield per unit of feed input. “It may take 8 pounds of feed to produce a pound of beef,” he explains. And to get a pound of guinea pig meat - only 4.”
To help start a home-based guinea pig farm, Heifer International typically donates one male and seven female guinea pigs to a family. And within months the livestock doubles. Woods says a herd of guinea pigs, consisting of two males and 20 females, can reproduce on its own while still providing meat for a family of six.
In the United States, most guinea pigs intended for human consumption are imported from Peru whole, frozen, processed, or packaged in plastic bags.
The Salt contacted several federal agencies, including the Ministry Agriculture, Fish and Wildlife, but no one seems to take guinea pigs seriously. However, we spoke with the owners of two Peruvian food importing companies who said that the concept is steadily gaining popularity in the United States. Neither would speak on camera, but each said they are now importing more guinea pigs than ever before.
At one company in Connecticut, shipments have nearly doubled since 2008, from 600 gilts a year to more than 1,000 gilts.
Urubamba, a Peruvian restaurant in Queens, didn't cook guinea pigs at all eight years ago. Since then, according to Carlos Atorg, who opened the restaurant in 1976, requests for pig dishes have grown every year. Today, visitors to Urubamba see guinea pig dishes on the menu once a month on weekends. A serving costs $17, the pig is served in the middle of the plate, like a lobster, cooked whole, along with legs, back, eyes, ears and nose.
In San Francisco, Diego Oca, a native of Peru and chef at La Mar Cebicheria, cooks imported guinea pigs from Peru every summer in anticipation of July 28, Peru's Independence Day. Oka marinates and deep fries pigs to create a dish called " Cuychactado.”He says that the nose, ears and tiny paws are the most delicious, but at the same time he removes the limbs of the animals so as not to offend the establishment's impressionable guests.
Helena Springut, co-founder of the Los Angeles-based adventurous eating club Gastronauts, says guinea pigs are a food worth trying just for the cultural experience. Pig meat can be tough and fibrous, she said.
Recently, while traveling in Ecuador, I ate a quarter of a grilled guinea pig. The tough meat was dry and scanty, and I left the restaurant hungry. But others described the dish as if it were a different meat. Miller, a conservationist, says guinea pigs are "delicious, tender, and hard to compare to anything else," even chicken. Chef Atorga of Urubamba says the pigs - which he describes as rodents "about the size of a squirrel" - have "very tender meat and soft skin" La Mar Cebicheria chef Oca says the pigs are "very fatty, like a combination of pork and rabbit."
Although guinea pigs can get star status as unusual food In the “hold your nose and turn off the camera” category, whether an animal so popular as a pet in the United States will become a major source of protein is questionable.
“In the United States, there is a cultural stigma against eating guinea pigs in particular, and rodents in general,” Miller says. “But finding ways to reduce our footprint is a valuable idea, as is eating small animals like pigs.”
Probably, almost every person in childhood was interested in the question: why is a guinea pig called that. It seems to have nothing to do with artiodactyls. And why then sea? Hardly salty water— its element, and the little animal doesn’t seem suited to swim. There is an explanation and it is quite prosaic.
To understand why the guinea pig was called a guinea pig, you need to look at history. The Latin name of this funny animal is Cavia porcellus, from the pig family. Other names: cavy and Guinea pig. By the way, here is another incident that is worth dealing with; the animals also have nothing to do with Guinea.
These rodents have been known to man since ancient times and were domesticated by the tribes of South America. The Incas and other representatives of the continent ate animals for food. They worshiped them, depicting them on objects of art, and also used them as ritual sacrifices. From archaeological excavations in Ecuador and Peru, statues of these animals have survived to this day.
![](https://i2.wp.com/homkin.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/pig35-650x381.jpg)
Furry animals became known to residents of the European continent in the 16th century after the conquest of Colombia, Bolivia and Peru by the Spanish conquistadors. Later, trading ships from England, Holland and Spain began to bring unusual animals to their homeland, where they spread among the aristocracy as pets.
Where does the name guinea pig come from?
The term cavia scientific name came from cabiai. This is what the representatives of the Galibi tribes, who lived in Guiana (South America), called the animal. The literal translation from Latin porcellus means “little pig.” IN different countries It is customary to call an animal differently. The more common name, abbreviated from cavia, is cavy or kewi. In their homeland they are called kui (gui) and aparea, in Great Britain - Indian pigs, and in Western Europe– Peruvian.
![](https://i2.wp.com/homkin.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/pig36.jpg)
Why still “sea”?
The animal received this name only in Russia, Poland (Swinka morska) and Germany (Meerschweinchen). made them frequent companions of sailors. And animals arrived in Europe at that time only by sea. This is probably the reason why small rodents associate with water. As for Russia, this name was probably borrowed from the Polish name. This option cannot be ruled out: overseas, i.e. strange animals arrived from afar, and subsequently shrank, throwing away the prefix.
There is also such a version: in order to circumvent the ban on eating meat during fasting days, Catholic priests classified capybaras (capybaras), and at the same time these rodents as fish. It is quite possible that this is why they were called guinea pigs.
Why pig?
The mention of pig in the name can be heard among the Portuguese (small Indian pig), the Dutch (Guinea pig), the French and the Chinese.
The reason for the connection with the famous artiodactyl should probably be sought in external resemblance. Thick barrel-shaped body on low legs, short neck and a large head relative to the body resemble a piglet. The sounds that a rodent makes can also be associated with a pig. In a calm state, they vaguely resemble grunting, and in case of danger, their whistle is similar to a pig's squeal. The animals are also similar in their contents: both of them constantly chew something while sitting in small pens.
![](https://i0.wp.com/homkin.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/pig37-667x381.jpg)
Another reason lies in the culinary preferences of the aborigines in the homeland of the animals. Domesticated animals were raised for slaughter, just like pigs. The appearance and taste, reminiscent of a suckling pig, was recognized by the first Spanish colonizers, and gave them the opportunity to call the animals that name.
In their homeland, rodents are still eaten today. Peruvians and Ecuadorians eat them in large quantities, rubbing with spices and salt, and then frying in oil or over coals. And, by the way, the carcass cooked on a spit actually looks very similar to a small suckling pig.
![](https://i0.wp.com/homkin.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/pig41.jpg)
By the way, these animals are associated in different countries not only with pigs, but also with other animals. In Germany, there is another name, merswin (dolphin), probably for the similar sounds it makes. The Spanish name translates as small Indian rabbit, and the Japanese call them morumotto (from English “marmot”).
Where did the word “Guinean” come from in the name?
Here, too, a strange confusion has crept in, because Guinea is located in West Africa, and not in South America, where guinea pigs originated.
There are also several explanations for this discrepancy:
- pronunciation error: Guiana (South America) and Guinea ( West Africa) sound very similar. In addition, both territories are former French colonies;
- ships importing animals from Guiana to Europe traveled through Africa and, accordingly, Guinea;
- both “overseas” in Russian and “guinea” in English mean, in meaning, everything brought from unknown distant countries;
- guinea is the currency for which exotic animals were sold.
Ancestors of guinea pigs and their domestication
Suspected and distributed almost everywhere in South America. They can be found both in savannas and on the edges of forests, on rocky areas of mountains and even in swampy areas. Often uniting in groups of up to ten individuals, the animals dig holes for themselves or occupy the homes of other animals. They feed exclusively on plant foods, are most active at night and at dusk, and reproduce all year round. The color is gray-brown with a light belly.
The Inca peoples began domesticating peaceful rodents around the 13th century. When did animals appear in European countries, at first they were in demand in scientific laboratories for conducting experiments. Good-looking appearance, good nature and sociability gradually won the attention of connoisseurs. And now these funny little animals have settled securely in homes around the world as beloved pets.
![](https://i0.wp.com/homkin.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/44.1-e1530349235494.jpg)
To date, breeders have bred over 20 breeds, which are distinguished by a variety of colors, coat structure, length and even partial or complete absence.
They are usually divided into groups:
- long-haired (Angora, Merino, Texel, Sheltie, Peruvian and others);
- shorthaired (Crested, Selfie);
- Wire-haired (Rex, American Teddy, Abyssinian);
- hairless (skinny, baldwin).
Unlike natural wild color Now you can find pets of black, red, white color and all kinds of their shades. From monochromatic colors, breeders bred spotted and even tri-colored animals. Long-haired animals with rosette hair look very funny, having a funny disheveled appearance. , weight varies from 600 to 1500 g. Small pets live from 5 to 8 years.
![](https://i2.wp.com/homkin.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/pig38.jpg)
Here are some about the history of guinea pigs and why they are called that. However, an animal with such a cute original appearance and the name should be unusual.
Video: why is a guinea pig called that?
Why was the guinea pig called a guinea pig and where did it come from?
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Few people know historical homeland modern guinea pigs and why they have such a strange name.
Rodents were first introduced into Europe as pets in the 16th century. Wild relatives of these animals are still found today in the territories of the countries of the continent of South America.
The scientific name for pigs is cavia. As you know, these animals have nothing to do with the sea or ordinary pigs.
The furry rodents got their name from their quiet grunting sounds. and similar body structure. They became marine because they were brought from overseas.
Kavyas are native to South America. The animal lives in rocky areas, savannah, densely overgrown forest edges. The rodent also lives in the swamps of Colombia, Venezuela, southern regions Brazil, northern regions Argentina. Animals usually live in small groups led by a leader.
IN natural environment There are several types of guinea pigs that have similar external features. However, there is one type that is different from the rest huge size. It is called kui.
Appearance
Wild pigs have differences from their domesticated relatives. They have less weight, are more mobile, they have a strong muscular body, long legs.
The animal's skeleton is strong, designed in such a way that it can run, and, if necessary, jump, quickly climb tree trunks and rocky slopes. The bones are strong and can withstand a fall from a height.
Cavias are colored grey-brown, brown-black, gray shades. This is necessary to hide from predators in the grass, under stones.
Lifestyle
In the natural environment The life expectancy of the animal is about 5 years. This is due to diseases, lack of food, big amount enemies. Cavias are active early in the morning or when dusk falls.
They forage mainly at night, preferring to hide in shelters during the day. These rodents do not dig burrows for themselves, choosing hollow trees, crevices in rocks, or abandoned burrows of other animals for habitat.
Meals wild pigs mostly plant based. Their diet includes:
- leaves, roots, fruits of trees;
- grass;
- stems, leaves of bushes;
- shoots, flowers.
Kavyas are doing well seasonal changes weather, both cold and hot. When cold weather sets in, only young, fragile individuals die.
These rodents can swim. When necessary, they are able to cross a river or stream. They are not afraid of rain and dampness. It is unlikely that a wild animal will die from a cold. There are populations of kavias that settle along water bodies, feeding exclusively on plants growing in the water.
By nature, animals are cautious and timid. Rodents sleep for 10-15 minutes every few hours. A sleeping animal's eyes are always slightly open. Researchers have found that even during moments of sleep, the caviar’s brain does not rest, it is constantly active, anticipating any approaching danger.
Behavior
Wild rodents live in small families. One flock consists of a male and 10 females. Sometimes the number of female individuals reaches 25. Each population has its own habitat.
All members of the pack take care that strangers do not invade their territory. Kavya cannot live alone, as it has many enemies in its natural environment.
Living in families, rodents allow themselves rest, adequate nutrition and care for their offspring. While some are feeding, others are protecting them from possible danger. When a predator approaches, pigs make characteristic sounds indicating alarm.
These kids are very clean most spend time taking care of themselves. This feature allows you to attract less attention to yourself and your habitat.
Cavii are sociable animals. They are capable of producing a whole palette of different sounds. Communication with pack members occurs through grunts, purrs, clicks, purrs, grunts and squeaks. By intonation they express their disposition towards each other or dissatisfaction.
Guinea pigs practically do not quarrel with each other. The manifestation of aggression within the pack is extremely unacceptable. Fights and disagreements may occur very rarely.
Reproduction
Guinea pigs are quite fertile. Nature has arranged it in such a way as to prevent the extinction of this species, since they have a lot of enemies. In one birth, a female can give birth to up to eight piglets. One individual can bear from 2 to 4 litters per year. On the sixth day after birth, the furry animals become independent. They learn to eat and move without their mother's help. And after two weeks they become practically independent.
Interesting facts from the life of guinea pigs in the wild
People have been domesticating pigs for quite some time. At first they were kept as a source of valuable and delicious meat, and then began to be used in religious rituals.
Ancient Indians used kavium as a panacea for all diseases. It served as a kind of x-ray. Some tribes, even today, have retained the custom of conducting diagnostics with the help of these pets.
Only black individuals were taken as therapy. The method of treatment is quite wild - the supposed patient was rubbed with mumps for a couple of hours. After this, the animal was killed, and according to the changes that occurred with internal organs rodent, the disease was established.
Even today, despite the presence great variety types of meat, local residents They prefer to hunt these cute creatures in order to prepare some delicious dish.
Both wild and domestic guinea pigs have a calm and sweet nature. Although the external characteristics of tame animals bear little resemblance to their wild counterparts. There are very few kavias left in the natural environment. But thanks to species conservation measures, animal populations are gradually increasing.
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Mumps disease (mumps) is an infectious viral disease that is included in the group of childhood diseases along with rubella, chickenpox, measles and is characterized by damage to the salivary parotid glands. This lesion leads to the fact that the patient’s face swells significantly and begins to resemble the snout of a well-known animal, after which the disease was popularly named “mumps.” Children most often suffer from mumps from the third to the seventh year of life, and mumps is observed twice as often in boys. In more early age Mumps disease is much milder than if it develops in adolescence or adulthood. Today, thanks to vaccinations, the vast majority of children are vaccinated against mumps, making the disease much less common. For unvaccinated children, the risk of contracting mumps is quite high.
The causative agent of mumps is the mumps virus, which, together with the measles virus, is part of the same group of viruses. This virus is not susceptible to mutations; it is unstable during external environment: it quickly dies when exposed to disinfectants and ultraviolet irradiation, and is also inactivated in ten minutes at a temperature of seventy degrees. And on the contrary, with more low temperatures(but not more than -10℃) the virus retains its properties for quite a long time
Mumps disease - causes
The only source of development of mumps is a person, and a person with mumps can be either quite clear signs diseases, and without them at all. A child with mumps becomes contagious one or two days before the first symptoms of the disease appear and during the first five days of the disease. The route of transmission of the mumps virus is always airborne; susceptibility to the disease is very high.
There are also the following possible reasons enlargement of the parotid (and others) salivary glands:
Metabolic disorders (uremia)
Purulent bacterial parotitis
Viral mumps, HIV mumps
Mikulicz syndrome (painless chronic parotitis + inflammation of the salivary glands)
Benign and (neoplastic) salivary glands
Enlargement of the parotid glands due to the intake of certain medicines(propylthiouracil, phenylbutazone, iodides, etc.)
The entry gate for mumps is the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx. Penetrating into the blood, the mumps virus infects glandular tissue (submandibular, parotid and other glands). The incubation period of this virus ranges from eleven to twenty-one days
Mumps disease - symptoms and course
Like other infectious diseases, mumps has an incubation period, usually about three weeks, but sometimes there are atypical cases of the disease when the incubation period is reduced to one or two days. It must be remembered that throughout the incubation period the patient is extremely dangerous to others.
At typical form Mumps disease has the following easily recognizable and pronounced symptoms:
Increased body temperature. Usually, immediately after the end of the incubation period, a sick child experiences a significant increase in temperature up to 39℃, and up to 40℃ in particularly severe cases
Deterioration in general health. With mumps, as with any other disease, the condition of the sick child worsens significantly, he begins to be constantly capricious, excited all the time, or, on the contrary, constantly sleeps. Parents should never leave such a condition of the child without due attention.
Swelling of the glands. After the temperature rises, around the second day, the baby begins to complain of pain in the neck and dimples behind the ears. Most often, pain first appears on one side, and only then moves to the other. After usually one day, swelling of the glands appears in exactly the same sequence, which upon palpation are very painful and have a doughy consistency
When chewing, swallowing and sometimes when simply opening the mouth, quite painful sensations are noted. Distinctive feature mumps - in the area of swelling the skin is very shiny, smooth and reddened.
Over the course of about five days, the tumor tends to increase in size and, as a result, one or even both cheeks swell. Only after this the swelling begins to gradually subside and completely disappears no earlier than the tenth day of the disease. Around the same time general state normalizes, and body temperature returns to normal.
As mentioned above, mumps is a rather dangerous disease that can lead to various consequences: inflammatory processes affecting the gray matter of the brain and meninges, pathological lesions of the middle ear and reproductive system (in boys).
In patients who have already reached puberty, mumps often affects other glands. Every fifth boy has orchitis (inflammatory disease of the testicles), which is usually characterized by a unilateral lesion with pain, swelling, increased sensitivity, increased temperature of the scrotum and redness. Sometimes this can lead to testicular atrophy, but reproductive capacity and testosterone production are usually preserved. in girls it manifests itself less painfully, occurs much less frequently and does not lead to such terrible diagnosis How . Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) is a very serious complication of mumps, but fortunately it develops extremely rarely. In some cases, inflammation of the inner ear (otitis) may develop, which can leave behind permanent deafness. A common complication after mumps is mumps, which usually occurs quite easily. First of all, mumps meningitis can develop after enlargement of the parotid glands.
Symptoms of mumps suggesting development possible complications: vomiting and pain in the stomach, quite strong, stiff (tense) neck, difficulty breathing, convulsions, increased drowsiness, enlarged, painful testicles, fever lasting more than four days
Mumps - vaccination
All babies at the age of twelve months are recommended to be vaccinated against rubella, measles and mumps. There is no separate vaccine against mumps itself. In some cases, about seven days after vaccination, children may develop a mild rash that resembles measles. This is a normal reaction to the vaccine, and the rash always goes away on its own.
However, there are certain contraindications to vaccination. Vaccination of a child is contraindicated in case of reduced immunity, for example, with such serious illnesses such as AIDS and leukemia, or while taking medications that suppress the immune response (immunosuppressants, steroids). If a child has severe allergic reactions, vaccination should be carried out under the mandatory supervision of an allergist.
Mumps disease - diagnosis
The diagnosis of mumps is established primarily on the basis of specific symptoms. The patient complains of pain in the ear area that intensifies when talking and chewing and dry mouth. Body temperature rises to 39℃, characteristic symptoms of intoxication are observed (appetite and sleep disturbances, headache, chills, general weakness).
In the area of the salivary glands on the face, characteristic swellings appear, which served as popular name- pig. Usually parotid salivary glands swelling on both sides, very rarely on any one, and not only the parotid, but also the sublingual and/or submandibular glands can be affected. The mumps disease lasts about seven to ten days and sometimes occurs in the so-called “erased” form, when the symptoms of mumps are reduced to a slight swelling of the parotid salivary gland, while the general health of the patient does not change.
Recognizing mumps in typical cases does not present any particular difficulties. With others infectious diseases the lesion of the parotid salivary glands has the character of a purulent lesion and is secondary. In the case of other diseases of the salivary glands (malignant tumors, stones of the ducts of the salivary glands, Mikulicz's disease, recurrent allergic parotitis) there is no prolonged course and fever.
Special laboratory tests are usually not used to diagnose mumps. Only in particularly controversial difficult cases methods are used that are based on the isolation of the mumps virus from the blood, swabs from the pharynx, cerebrospinal fluid, secretion of the parotid salivary gland and urine
Mumps disease - treatment
Most often, mumps treatment takes place at home. The child is hospitalized in the infectious diseases department only in extremely severe cases. Mumps disease does not require any specific treatment. It is indicated to take only those measures that are aimed at alleviating the general condition of the patient. These measures include gargling and applying compresses and/or bandages to the throat.
To gargle, prepare a warm soda solution (1 teaspoon of soda per 200 ml of water), which you should use to gargle as often as possible. If the child is still too small and simply cannot gargle on his own, he should be given a lot of warm drinks.
To relieve pain, apply a bandage of bandages and gauze to the child’s throat, or tie it with a warm scarf. As an alternative, you can make a warm oil compress, for which you should heat a few tablespoons of vegetable (any) oil, then moisten a gauze napkin in it (the napkin should not be very hot to avoid burning the baby’s skin).
To alleviate the patient's condition, in some cases, painkillers and antipyretics are used. It is possible to use such physiotherapeutic procedures as diathermy, UHF therapy and ultraviolet irradiation. Application of dry heat to the area of the salivary glands is indicated.
Regardless of the severity of the disease, bed rest should be observed for ten days. Complications that threaten infertility (usually in men) usually occur in patients who do not adhere to this requirement. Since chewing usually causes pain in mumps, the patient should be fed pureed or semi-liquid milk-vegetable food, which serves as a preventive measure for the development of a. The patient should not be given citrus and sour juices that irritate the salivary glands.
Pregnant women who have not been properly immunized or have not had mumps should definitely avoid contact with a sick child, as this often causes a miscarriage. A sick child should be isolated from other family members.