The U.S  government is doing what it can to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic illness, said President Barack Obama as he declared the H1N1 virus a national emergency.

The 2009 H1N1 pandemic continues to evolve. The rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many communities across the nation, and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources in some localities,” Obama said in a statement.

“Thus, in recognition of the continuing progression of the pandemic, and in further preparation as a nation, we are taking additional steps to facilitate our response.”

The emergency declaration allows the government and health care professionals to allow for more vaccinations.

Power and wealth is no protection from the swine flu. On Tuesday, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias confirmed that he, too, has been infected with the H1N1 virus. “The pandemic makes no distinctions,” said Arias, 69. “I am one more case in this country and I am being submitted to the recommendations that health authorities have established for the entire population.” The Nobel Peace laureate, whose age and asthma places him at greater risk than most, said in a statement that he is quarantined at home and is being treated with the anti-flu medicine oseltamivir. “Aside from the discomfort of the fever and sore throat, I feel in good shape and in full capacity to carry out my work by telecommuting,” Arias said, whose symptoms emerged on Sunday.

 Could being overweight play a role in one’s susceptibility to swine flu? Researchers say that some cases of the H1N1 virus in Michigan suggest that obesity could explain why some people who get infected get so sick. On Friday, a report detailed the cases of 10 very ill swine flu patients in Michigan. Three of them died. All but one of the 10 were either obese or extremely obese, and only three of them had other health problems. Two of the three that died had no other health conditions, CNN reported. “Clinicians need to be aware that severe complications can occur in patients with the novel H1N1 virus, particularly in extremely obese patients,” said Dr. Tim Uyeki, a flu expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Uyeki was a co-author of the report, released by a CDC publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. But, even though most of those who have gotten severely ill from swine flu have been obese or extremely obese, health officials note that it could be due to the fact that overweight people are more likely to have asthma and other maladies that make them more susceptible. Obesity alone has never been seen as a risk factor for seasonal flu, they note. Last week, federal officials announced that the U.S. government is ready to spend another $1 billion in orders for swine flu vaccinations.