Serious Health Concerns, Including Norovirus, Growing At Zuccotti Park

Expert: Too Many Factors At Play, Situation Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better

November 11, 2011 10:29 PM

A new ‘Occupy Wall Street first aid station in a military tent stands in Zuccotti Park in the Financial District near Wall Street on November 8, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Filed under

Health, Health, Healthwatch, Local, News, NY News, OWS, OWS Protest, Syndicated Local

Featured Gallery

Namaste: Yoga Poses For Beginners

For more trusted health

news and information,

visit CBS New York's

Occupy Wall Street

Zuccotti Park Protest

Celebs Join In

Protests Go National

Millionaire's March

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Will the spread of disease be the thing that closes down Zuccotti Park?

Health experts say it’s fast becoming a Petri dish of germs. The cold weather, the close quarters and the lack of sanitation are combining to create a possibly serious public health danger, reports CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.

It’s not only the noise from the drums or the free spirited topless dancers who perform for swarms of speechless gawkers that are creating a quality of life crisis at Zuccotti Park. Now there is concern about a potential public health menace — disease.

You have already seen some of the protestors coughing, something they call “Zuccotti lung,” but experts said that is just the beginning.

“We’re starting to see respiratory problems and the flu and the cold season is now at hand in November and in addition there a few outbreaks of a Colisi virus, the so-called norovirus, the stomach flu – that’s the vomiting and diarrhea virus,” said Dr. Philip Tierno Jr.

Tierno, the director of clinical microbiology and immunology at NYU, said the combination of the cold weather, the cramped living conditions, poor sanitation and food open to the air and germs create fertile ground for the spread of disease.

“I think there will be a point in time when the sanitation facilities and the spread of microbial diseases reaches a level where Mayor Bloomberg will have to act,” Dr. Tierno said.

On his radio show Friday the mayor offered a cryptic response about the Zuccotti Park situation.

“We are watching it. We’ll do what’s appropriate when appropriate,” Bloomberg said.

Later, he ducked Kramer’s question on whether there is a tipping point from “Occupy Wall Street.”

“I think they have totally reached the tipping point. They really, really have. It’s unhealthy. It’s unsanitary,” Battery Park resident Nina Marabetian said.

“It’s a detriment to everyone that works around here,” Jose Aragon added.

“I think they’re overstaying their stay now,” Skip Hartman said.

Although many people say the clock is ticking no one knows when the alarm will actually go off and Mayor Bloomberg will take action.

Meanwhile, John Zuccotti, the head of the company that owns the park, insisted it is up to the city to enforce the laws. But Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told Kramer it’s up to Zuccotti’s firm to pull the plug because they own the property.

What do you think about the conditions in Zuccotti Park? Sound off below in our comments section…

Serious Health Concerns, Including Norovirus, Growing At Zuccotti Park

Schmellma Arss

Must be the cigarettes. After all, cigarettes are the root of all republicans, errr ….. I mean evil.
IgnoranteElephante

We Jews are God’s chosen people and shall do as we please. If we want to take over a park and fund a Zionist revolution, then we will, and noone will say anythin about it.

Homosexual Jews like myself are destined to control the world.

Schmellma Arss

Would you like to smell my ass?
Andrew Nutra

Two snaps in Z formation and a kiss!

Capt America

In one word… NAPALM
IgnoranteElephante

We should set up a Zuccotti Lung fund, pay attorneys to administer it, and dole out millions for these poor people

Liberals Are Evil

You are one twisted asshole!

lammar

I walked by the Z park and in 24 hours got a sore throat, case of the runs,and
dizzy spells. Is there some bug going around?

Andrew Nutra

I just got a case of the bad vibes from drumming

Vik

“Here comes the chicken, here comes the chicken, the chicken down the road.” And his name is Bloomberg.
Love NYC

“Give a man secure possession of a bleak rock, and he will turn it into a garden; give him nine years’ lease of a garden, and he will turn it into a desert.”

~ Arthur Young, Travels in France 1792

Andrew Nutra

My favorite quote: he who laughs last didn’t get the joke

Darth Sidious

Wipe them out….all of them…
Huh

Oh no…I hope Susan Sarandon is ok…can someone please check up on her?
Andrew Nutra

I think I got “Zuccotti @ss.” Some guy snuck into my tent and occupied me.

Jimbo Jones

Joe Paterno denies the accusation. He’s 85-years-old and says he hasn’t been able to get it up in 20 years, Viagra or not.

SoSO

It sounds like an alien moving. How do we get rid of them, just upload a virus. Yay:)

Andrew Nutra

We need a human Stuxnet

DOUBLE_CHINNED_PUPPETEER

Best news I heard all week.
NYCWOLF

Protesting is one thing. Occupying is another. Go home already. If you really want to institute change to get people to abide by what YOU believe then run for office, get elected and make the changes. Stop disturbing the peace.

Ray

I could not have said it any better.
Andrew Nutra

But then we OWS won’t get the attention we didn’t get growing up because our parents were busy working! Also I’m not leaving until I get either a book deal or an HBO TV miniseries out of it. Or a porn parody.
tommybones

Occupying IS a form of protest, chief.
GOD HELP US ALL IF EVERTHING DOES NOT CHANGE

THE MAYOR OF THIS CITY NEVER SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN RELECTED, HE HAS NO BALLS AND DOES NOT CARE FOR ANYONE IN THIS CITY, BUT HIS OWN POCKET AND COMPANY. HE JUST LIKES TO HEAR HIMSELF TALK. WE NEEDED SOMEONE LIKE THE PREVIOUS MAYOR, RUDY G. TO CLEAN UP THIS CITY, LIKE HE DID ONCE BEFORE, WITH ALL THE SQUEEGY PEOPLE AND HOMELESS LAYING ALL OVER THE SIDEWALKS. WE DO NOT NEED MORE BIKE LANES. WHAT WE NEED IS FOR THIS MAYOR TO LEAVE, SO THE NEXT MAYOR CAN UNDO WHAT HE DID. BECAUSE ALL THESE BIKES ARE NOT PAYING ANY INSURANCE LIKE THE VEHICLES IN THIS CITY ARE DOING. THEY ARE JUST MOWING DOWN EVERYONE WHO TRYS TO WALK ACROSS THE STREET. THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE PROTESTING ARE HOMELESS BECAUSE IF THEY WERE NOT, THEY WOULD BE IN THEIR OWN BEDS. USING THEIR OWN TOLIETS AND OTHER FACILITIES, NOT BEGGING FOR FOOD FROM THE RESTRAUANTS AROUND THE AREA. THEY ARE PUTTING EVERYONE OUT OF BUSINESS AND JUST DIRTING THE AREA. WHAT IS THIS SUPPOSE TO SYMBOLIZE??????? YOU TELL ME?????? THEY ARE ALL A BUNCH OF LOSERS…… GET A REAL LIFE……….

need a mayor

Can we bring back Giuliani for a week?

uptowngirl

That’s what I’m talking about! We need someone with b***s!

tommybones

Giuliani has balls? Really?

Among the pantheon of these armchair heros can be found Rudy Giuliani, “America’s Mayor,” who avoided the draft in Vietnam by pulling favors from a high level New York judge, who laughably wrote a letter to the draft board on his behalf stating that the low level clerk was an “essential employee,” who was too important to fight for his country.

Yeah, he’s a real tough guy…

Andrew Nutra

OWS: playing 60s radicals they saw on TV because the liberal arts degree they mastered in is not doing them any good in a down economy. Well guess what? Drumming and kicking out the homeless and ex-cons will not help you either. This is a land of opportunity not guarantees. Maybe you shouldn’t have borrowed $200K to master in Medieval Eastern Ugandan poetry.

tfm

I like you!!! Well said!!!

Andrew Nutra

YAY! FINALLY! Maybe now the drumming and raping will cease.

Jon Corzine

Yeah, does anyone know where the “Rape Tent” is now in Zuccotti? They keep moving it and I can’t find it when I need to.

Andrew Nutra

I heard there’s an all male tent: Two snaps in Z formation and a kiss!

bob

They claim these take overs are part of their 1st ammendment rights, then should people now be allowed to smoke whereever they want too ??

my200keasternugandanlobeit!

Didn’t NYC BAN smoking in Parks? I guess since this is a private park…

Michael H.

I’m almost positive that the smoking ban only applies to NYC parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas. As a privately owned, publicly accessible park, Brookfield would determine whether or not smoking is allowed.

In response to bob’s “1st amendment” comment, smoking is not speech. Second hand and exhaled smoke physically affects other people, and therefore can be restricted.

Not part of the 99%

This is a public health threat, the park needs to be cleared and cleaned.
squanto

i agree with the rest of the archie bunker type rabble rousers – the first amendment has no place in our current society. the president needs to enact martial law, suspend the constitution, and send these hippy do-gooders to GITMO. how dare anyone challenge wall street – anyone who challenges wall street hates america & probably loves al qaeda! bottom line: no more freedom of speech, then no more protestors, then finally we can get back to maintaining the status quo. believe me, if there were anything needing change, our government would step up to the plate and tell us then fix the problem.

Cheney/Rumsfeld 2012 !!!!!!

Andrew Nutra

Godspeed OWS people! I’m on your side! Go fight the 1 percenters. Whatever you do PLEASE don’t sell out. Please remove your warm clothing and burn your tents. They’re all corporate made, made by 5 year old kids in China. You mustn’t taint yourself with them. Also you need to fast. Food is manufactured by corporations. Do not taint your body with them, it’s poison! Don’t be a part of the machine. Go forth OWS!
IgnoranteElephante

I am a fervent supporter of the First Amendment. However, that protects speech and speech associated conduct. Laws previously enacted that are content neutral, i.e., apply without regard to the message of the speaker still must be enforced. Thus, any violations of the health and fire code and the penal law should all still be enforced.

I wonder, squanto, if you would still be so supportive of First Amendment rights if the occupiers rallied against the Jewish tyranny at all levels of society, President Obama, gay marriage and homosexuality in general, Israel, or the disproportionate amount of crime among the black community?

Remember, I said content neutral.

tommybones

By your logic, women wouldn’t have the right to vote, nor people of color and we’d probably not have labor laws. Why? Because people protested. And these protests included violating ordinances. Patriots went to jail. That’s how it works. In your world, Rosa Parks should have just shuffled off to the back of the bus like a good citizen. Ridiculous. You need a refresher course in history.

My favorite example? Those silly colonists who broke the law by dumping tea into Boston Harbor.

Andrew Nutra

“Silly colonists”? Well if you want to be selective when it comes to history, those colonists kicked out the Native Americans who were here for thousands of years and brought in Africans and used them as cattle.

DianaF

I’m sure the protesters deal with the health and sanitation issues daily at their general meetings. Why not go, observe, participate in these and find out? I also bet that they are dealing with many of the health and sanitation issues faced by the homeless and the poor. What is government for if cannot provide for the basic health and sanitation needs of the public, including the protesting, free-speech and free-assembly rights-exercising Occupiers?

BO STINKS!

This is one of the stupidest Pro-OWS comments yet.
steve

You have got to be kidding? Now you want the government to make sure these law breakers are healty? At this point, the park should be cleared by force. This is becoming a health issue for all who go near the place.
IgnoranteElephante

@ DianaF: “Why not go, observe, and participate” you ask. Well, first and foremost, because I don’t agree with any their many–and often contradictory–messages.

The government does provide for the sanitation needs of all and the basic health needs of those who cannot afford healthcare (think Medicaid and the overwhelming number of New Yorkers receiving free benefits from it). However, the government has no obligation to overcome persistent obstruction in the form of the vile masses of unkempt people who will not allow the government to exercise its duty to provide sanitation.
Andrew Nutra

Why aren’t you out there? A little cold? I understand.

MULLY

THEY ARE ALL A BUNCH OF FESTERING IDIOTS

liz

MORONS EACH AND EVERYONE OF THEM! DISGRACE and DISGUST! ENOUGH ALREADY! THIS MAYOR IS AN ABOMINATION! LOSERS FROM SARANDON, TO MOORE (BIG BAG OF FOUL WIND)! THE WHOLE CIRCUS ATMOSPHERE IS MORE THAN DISGUSTING!

uptowngirl

I agree – this has to stop already. It’s disgusting.
BO STINKS!

Fence them in and let it fester, problem sovled.
steve

What do you think about the conditions in Zuccotti Park? City should enforce the laws and throw them the hell out of the park. If they cannot keep sanitary conditions, they need to leave. Do they expect the city to keep them clean? This is a disaster waiting to happen.

liz

It is not a disaster WAITING to happen, the DISASTER has ALREADY HAPPENED!

Ben

Bloomy should grow a pair and put an end to this side show. It is no longer what it started out to be, this is a disgrace.

liz

I agree with you Ben, Gloomy should grow a pair of b***s! This is a total DISGRACE! The Circus, and all of the Clowns and FREAKS need to leave. If they don’t leave bring on the HOSES. They are a complete menace to the neighborhood and shame on this mayor who allowed this kind of crap to go on for so long! DISGUSTING!

1 2 Next »

News

Serious Health Concerns, Including Norovirus, Growing At Zuccotti Park

Expert: Too Many Factors At Play, Situation Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better

November 11, 2011 10:29 PM

Filed under

Related tags

Featured Gallery

Occupy Wall Street

Latest News Video

Summertime = Fun Time!

Help Shape The Debates

At Harmon Meadow 6/15

Great Networking Event

Select a Live Stream

News, Sports and Talk Radio

Music Radio