DENVER -- The swine flu fight has moved to the street level now as Colorado emergency workers take anti-viral medicines to more than a dozen locations.

It is an unprecedented move to get medicine in place before the virus begins a rapid spread.

“The highest priority for the antiviral stockpile is to meet unmet needs in communities around Colorado,” said Ned Calonge, Colorado’s chief medical officer. “The antiviral drugs are primarily intended for use with severely ill patients in hospitals.”

Overnight, drugs from the Strategic National Stockpile were moved to 13 locations across Colorado: Alamosa, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Eagle, El Paso, Jefferson, La Plata, Larimer, Mesa, Otero, Pueblo and Weld counties.

“The success is a tribute to the partnership between state and local levels,” said Jennifer Trainer, the medicine coordinator for the Colorado Department of Public Health.

Calonge issued a reminder that, in the United States, the H1N1 virus has been acting like seasonal flu and is a relatively mild disease, although he expects, as with seasonal flu, to see a spectrum of illness.

“Every year, approximately 36,000 Americans die from seasonal flu,” Calonge said. “The rate in Colorado is about 780 deaths per year from seasonal flu. We need to understand that the 2009 H1N1 virus could lead to deaths, just as the seasonal flu does.”

Calonge reiterated that there is no reason for people to get tested if they have mild symptoms and they should remain at home to recover. People who are sick with severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, or who also have additional, significant health problems, should contact their health-care provider.

“The ability to test is a limited resource,” Calonge said. “Testing and treatment with antiviral drugs should be reserved for people who become seriously ill or who have additional serious health problems.”

Tests from six suspected Colorado cases of H1N1 have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, said spokesman Mark Salley.

Results are pending.

People who have questions about the H1N1 virus can call the department’s CO-HELP line at 1-877-462-2911 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. over the weekend and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Earlier in the week, state health officials had said the anti-viral medicines would be mostly Tamiflu, with some courses of Relenza as well.

They stressed individuals cannot expect to go to local public health agencies to have prescriptions for these medications filled.

The belief among health professionals is that the commercial supply of these drugs will catch up with demand in the ongoing fight against the H1N1 virus.

Expect Schools To Close

If a confirmed case of H1N1 is traced to a student or staff member of a school that building is likely to close, and an entire district-wide shutdown is possible.

In the Cherry Creek school district south of Denver, the decision was made Thursday to close the building down.

“We would want to take the safest possible action to protect other children and prevent the disease from spreading,” Said Tustin Amole of Cherry Creek schools.

A spokeswoman with Douglas County schools said leaders there would evaluate the specific situation and take appropriate action.

The state department of education says those decisions are left to the individual school districts and the local health departments.

Nationally, the impact is already being felt by hundreds of thousands of children and their families.

As of noon Friday, 433 were closed with 245,449 students dismissed.

A total of 17 states are affected by these school closures:

Alabama
Arizona
California
Connecticut
Illinois
Indiana
Maine
Minnesota
Michigan
New York
Ohio
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
Washington
Wisconsin

"In addition, we have reports of five colleges in four states which have reported probable or confirmed cases of H1N1 as of 12:00 yesterday, April 30t in Delaware, California, Indiana, and Ohio," said John McGrath, Deputy Assistant Secretary with the Office of Communications and Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education.

H1N1 Threat May Decrease In Coming Weeks, Increase in Fall

U.S. authorities are pledging a flu vaccine for everyone but said they don't expect it until the fall.

Fall could be when the country needs it most.

Dr. Michelle Barron, an infectious disease researcher, said the flu typically decreases in the summer and increases in the months October-April.

"The hope is obviously that this will end soon and won't go on through the summer months however it can have a resurgeance in the fall and that's the worst case scenario we are trying to prepare for," said Barron.

Barron said that while the virus is spreading, its not at an accelerated rate. Unlike the SARS epidemic, Barron said not everyone that has come in contact with it has gotten ill.

Barron also said people should take comfort in the fact that officials know how this spreads. She said washing your hands and covering your mouth goes a long way in protecting yourself.