BERLIN - Germany and Austria confirmed cases of swine flu today, becoming the third and fourth European countries hit by the disease. As the United States reported the first swine flu death outside of Mexico, the World Health Organization called an emergency meeting to consider its pandemic alert level.

Germany confirmed three swine flu cases and Austria one, while the number of confirmed cases rose to four in Spain and five in Britain.

Swine flu is suspected of killing more than 150 people and sickening more than 2,400 in Mexico. WHO has confirmed at least 105 cases in seven countries. More than half of those 66 are in the United States, and U.S. health officials reported today a 23-month-old child in Texas died from the disease.

In Geneva, WHO was convening its emergency committee today to discuss, among other things, the current pandemic alert level. It now stands at phase 4, two levels below the threshold for a full pandemic outbreak.

WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said the agency's director-general Margaret Chan "has seen a jump in cases and she wants to have that evaluated by the outside experts."

He says that does not automatically mean there will be a change in the pandemic alert level.

This comes in addition to a WHO scientific review meeting today to determine exactly what is known about how the disease spreads, how it affects human health and how it can be treated. Experts will take part via telephone from the United States, Mexico and other affected countries. A report will be published shortly after the meeting ends.

Germany's national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said the country's three cases include a 22-year-old woman hospitalized in Hamburg, a man in his late 30s being treated at a hospital in Regensburg, north of Munich, and a 37-year-old woman from another Bavarian town. All three had recently returned from Mexico.

Austria's health ministry said a 28-year-old woman who recently returned from a trip to Guatemala via Mexico City has the virus but is recovering.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said health officials were ordering extra medicine and "a great deal more" face masks to deal with the virus.

"We've decided to build stocks of antivirals, from 35 million to 50 million," Brown said, adding that the government had put in enhanced airport checks and was preparing to mail out swine flu information leaflets to every household in Britain.

In addition to a couple in Scotland, the new cases confirmed today included a 12-year-old girl in the southwest English town of Torbay. Brown said the girl's school was closed as a precaution.

He said the other two cases confirmed today were adults in London and in the English city of Birmingham. All three had visited Mexico, were receiving antiviral drugs and were responding well to treatment, Brown said.

Media reports said the U.K. was seeking up to 32 million extra masks.

In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy was to meet with Cabinet ministers to discuss the latest swine flu developments.

New Zealand's number of cases rose to 14, 13 of whom were among a school group that recently returned from Mexico. Officials say the swine flu strain infecting the students is the same as that in Mexico. All were responding well to treatment with antiviral drugs and in voluntary quarantine at home.

New Zealand has 44 other possible cases, with tests under way.

Mexico was taking drastic measures to fight the outbreak. It closed all archaeological sites Tuesday and allowed restaurants in the capital to only serve takeout food in an aggressive bid to stop gatherings where the virus can spread. Schools remained closed until at least May 6.

A regional beach soccer championship in Mexico was postponed and all Mexican first-division soccer games this weekend will be played behind closed doors.

The U.S., the European Union, and other countries have discouraged nonessential travel to Mexico, Cuba banned flights to and from Mexico, and Argentina suspended flights arriving from Mexico.

Cruise lines are avoiding Mexican ports, and holiday tour groups are canceling holiday charter flights there.