Obama declares national emergency

President of the United States Barack Obama declares a national emergency in response to the H1N1 flu virus.

Now, this may seem alarming, but the announcement, which the president made over the weekend, is actually a technical one. It's kind of like declaring a federal disaster area in a city or state after a flood or an earthquake.

The declaration helps officials get aid to victims or, in this case, it makes resources available to help health officials respond to the H1N1 outbreak.