President Oscar Arias will seek medical attention abroad for a severe vocal chord problem that has left him unable to speak.

Vice President Laura Chinchilla will act as president for eight days, starting today. A Casa Presidencial press release did not say where Arias will receive treatment, but the Associated Press reported it would be in the United States.

“The exact reason for my trip, as well as its costs, are absolutely private,” Arias wrote in a letter to Legislative Assembly President Francisco Antonio Pacheco, who is third in line for the presidency.

On May 12, Mauricio Buitrago, an ear, nose and throat specialist, wrote that Arias “suffers from an acute and severe problem with his vocal chords…He must rest his voice for several weeks and receive intensive medical treatment.”