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    Martinsville, Virginia (USA) Coronavirus being watched closely in Virginia by both public officials and students in a program at Ferrum College   https://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/coronavirus-being-watched-closely-in-virginia-by-both-public-officials/article_ae22943e-917d-5432-a593-7606b8607b46.html              By Amie Knowles Special to the Bulletin “... Watching keenly developments of the new strain is a group of students at Ferrum College who are in the One Health program, which focuses on the intersection of human, animal and environmental health. The program also studies how illnesses affect the global economy and the political impact outbreaks like COVID-19 can have. Ferrum College began the One Health program in the fall of 2019, one of 10 such programs in the U.S., according to a 2016 study in the One Health Journal: Infection, Ecology and Epidemiology and a paper published in 2018. [https://nam.edu/core-competencies-in-one-health-education-what-are-we-missing/]   “One Health students begin by learning how human health is impacted by the interaction of the aspects of our world such as air, water, animals, plants, foods and soil. In order to prevent further outbreaks, we must understand how individual systems operate and the interconnections between those systems,” said Delia Heck, a professor of environmental science, natural science division chair and environmental science and environmental studies program coordinator at Ferrum. “One Health students study aspects such as disease pathways, pathogens, risk management, human systems, animal systems and soil, plant and animal-based food health. They then work in teams to determine solutions to problems that might arise within those systems. As part of their capstone project, they must focus on a particular One Health issue and write an in-depth research paper on it.” ... “