Responding to the swine flu outbreak, Australian federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced on Monday that all flights into Australia from North or South America will have to report any passengers with flu-like symptoms before the aircraft was allowed to land.

"We have now made the decision on the advice of the chief medical officer that we should introduce the next phase of protections, that is introducing at our borders arrangements for all flights that are coming in from the Americas and landing here in Australia," Roxon said in a statement.

After the World Health Organization described the outbreak as a public health emergency, Roxon said that the government has considered it a great concern and stood ready to upgrade its response if and as needed.

"There are quite a large number of people in Mexico who have died and large numbers who have this flu," Roxon said.

Roxon said having been prepared for a possible bird-flu outbreak, Australia has been well set-up to deal with the swine flu threat and had researchers working to identify how the flu operated and was transmitted.

"We do have effective antiviral drugs in good supply in Australia," Roxon said.

The screening system will be enforced from midnight on Monday.

The number of suspected swine flu cases has risen to 1,614, including 103 deaths, Mexico announced early Monday.