Slowly but surely, the virus commonly known as swine flu continued to spread across the globe Friday, as the number of confirmed cases rose from 257 to 331, the World Health Organization in Geneva reported. In Europe, authorities voiced fears that the virus was now being transferred within their own countries rather than being imported by travelers returning from Mexico, the apparent epicenter of the disease. At the same time, governments and institutions around the world scrambled to ward off infection. Japan's sumo wrestling authority will distribute antibacterial liquid hand soap and face masks to athletes and their families, media reports in Japan said. Hong Kong has begun requiring all arriving travelers to fill out health declarations before being allowed to enter the territory. The Roman Catholic Church in New Zealand instructed priests Friday not to place communion wafers in worshipers' mouths because of transmission risks, The Associated Press reported, and indigenous Maori were urged to stop using an ancient greeting that brings people nose-to-nose. The W.H.O. announced on Friday that the worldwide total for confirmed cases of the virus had risen, but no new countries were added to the list released on Thursday