DENVER -- A 41-year-old woman from Peyton is Colorado's first reported death related to the H1N1 flu, authorities said Wednesday.

The El Paso County Department of Health and Environment called the death "sad news" and a reminder that the public should be aware that "H1N1 flu can cause serious illness."

The woman has been identified as 41-year-old Debra Burton. She worked at NORAD and US NORTHCOM in Colorado Springs.

Her husband is believed to have the virus as well.

"It is important that our residents take steps to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu and to protect themselves and their families," said El Paso County Public Health Director Kandi Buckland, in a news release.

Chris Lindley of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said that swine flu is widespread, so only cases that lead to hospitalization are being counted. Colorado counted 43 of those more serious swine flu cases as of Tuesday.

So far, swine flu has likely infected more than 1 million Americans, the CDC believes, with at least 300 deaths.

The United States expects to begin testing swine flu vaccines on some volunteers in August, and predicts 160 million doses may be ready by October.

Burton's death comes just a few weeks after at least 138 freshmen at the Air Force Academy got sick with the H1N1 flu. All of the quarantined cadets recovered and none required hospitalization.

H1N1 has been mild this summer with most people getting over the flu without hospitalization. However, with kids returning to school this fall, health officials and parents are bracing themselves for a deluge of patients.

Get ready for a confusing fall: The regular winter flu is expected to make its usual rounds -- infecting up to one in five Americans and killing 36,000 -- at the same time swine flu spreads. But it will take two separate vaccinations to protect against both kinds.

Manufacturers aren't finished brewing and testing swine flu vaccine yet. On Wednesday, the government's top vaccine advisers meet to debate who's first in line once limited supplies start trickling out. The first on the list are expected to include school-age children, younger adults with flu-risky conditions like asthma, and health workers.