KIEV, April 27 – The government, at an emergency meeting Monday, scrambled to adopt measures it believes would prevent cases of swine flu in Ukraine amid signs the epidemic has been spreading quickly around the world.

The measures approved include banning pork imports from Mexico and the United States, the two countries most affected by the swine flu, but may also include screening air travelers for fever and checking their baggage for any small amounts of meat imports.

“I insist that all these [meat import] routes be shut down,” Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko told the government meeting. “Not a single shipment of meat must be left without [state] control.”

Mexico, the country hardest hit by the swine flu so far, said Monday it had no known cases of flu among its pig population across the country. Mexico does not export pork to Ukraine.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. agency monitoring the epidemic, said people cannot get the flu by eating pork or pork products. The U.S. has been exporting pork to Ukraine and other countries.

The swine flu epidemic entered a dangerous new phase Monday as the death toll climbed in Mexico and the number of suspected cases there and in the United States nearly doubled.

The World Health Organization raised its alert level but stopped short of declaring a global emergency. WHO raised the alert level to 4, suggesting the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans.

The United States advised Americans against most travel to Mexico and ordered stepped up border checks in neighboring states. The European Union health commissioner advised Europeans to avoid nonessential travel both to Mexico and parts of the United States.

The suspected number of deaths rose to 149 in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak with nearly 2,000 people believed to be infected.

The number of U.S. cases rose to 48, the result of further testing at a New York City school, although none was fatal. Other U.S. cases have been reported in Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California.

Worldwide there were 73 cases, including six in Canada, one in Spain and two in Scotland.

Tymoshenko also advised Ukrainians against traveling to the countries affected by the disease. She also urged the Health Ministry to monitor health condition of people that had lived in those countries for at least three months before returning to Ukraine.

President Viktor Yushchenko said Monday the government must allocate at least 50 million hryvnias ($6.2 million) from its reserves to upgrade laboratories that can identify the swine flu.

Healthcare Minister Vasyl Kniazenych, at a meeting with Yushchenko earlier Monday, said the ministry has been planning to accelerate contacts with the European Union to coordinate response to the epidemics.

In the U.S., customs officials began checking people entering U.S. territory and millions of doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile were on their way to states, with priority given to the five already affected and to border states.

"We want to make sure that we have equipment where it needs to be, people where they need to be and, most important, information shared at all levels," said Janet Napolitano, head of the Homeland Security Department, The Associated Press reported.

"We are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic," Napolitano said.

She said travel warnings for trips to Mexico would remain in place as long as swine flu is detected.

U.S. President Barack Obama said the outbreak was reason for concern, but not yet "a cause for alarm."

Mexico canceled school at all levels nationwide until May 6, and the Mexico City government said it was considering a complete shutdown, including all public transportation, if the death toll keeps rising.

Meanwhile, the Mexican government grappled with increasing criticism of its response. At least two weeks after the first swine flu case, the government has yet to say where and how the outbreak began or give details on the victims.

Mexico's Agriculture Department said Monday that its inspectors found no sign of swine flu among pigs around the farm in Veracruz, and that no infected pigs have been found yet anywhere in Mexico. (tl/ez)