WASHINGTON  A week after his administration first received word about a deadly flu spreading across Mexico, President Obama convened his cabinet on Friday and instructed every agency to play a role in preparing the United States for a pandemic.

Mr. Obama said the Department of Education was consulting with school districts across the country. The State Department was coordinating efforts with 11 other nations affected by the virus. In coordination with the federal government, he said, the United States Chamber of Commerce was urging employers to let parents stay home with sick children. And the Commerce Department was urging China and Russia to lift bans on American pork imports.

Mr. Obama said his administration was focused both on the immediate threat posed by the H1N1 virus, as well as the possibility that a more virulent outbreak could be looming months away. He reminded Americans that they had roles to play, too. And while he kept up his campaign to calm an increasingly jittery nation, he also cautioned those who might be complacent that this strain of flu was not like any other.

“The reason scientists are concerned is because this is a new strain, and Americans and people around the world have not built up immunity,” Mr. Obama said, pointing out that many of those who died from the virus in Mexico were relatively young and healthy. “That’s why we’re taking it seriously.”