WASHINGTON - THE World Bank on Tuesday said it was too early to make an accurate cost estimate of the global economic impact of the rapidly spreading swine flu outbreak.

'The situation's evolving constantly and it's just too soon to try and get anything approaching an accurate assessment of the global impact,' Phil Hay, a World Bank health spokesman, told AFP.

'The bank's number-one priority is people's health and lives. The bank continues to monitor the global and regional situation very carefully, with the World Health Organization leading the global and regional health response,' he said.

'The priority now is to help Mexico manage its evolving situation with swine flu. The World Bank will support Mexico's efforts to fight the spread of the swine flu virus with more than US$205 million (S$307 million) in fast-disbursing funds.'

The World Bank announced on Sunday a $205 million loan for Mexico to help the country deal with the deadly swine flu outbreak.

Mexican Finance Minister Agustin Carstens, speaking at a news conference that wrapped up weekend meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, said the development lender had agreed to make '$25 million available immediately' in order to 'get medicines and medical equipment to detect and diagnose' the virus outbreak.

Mr Hay, the bank health spokesman, noted that the swine flu outbreak has come 'just as the bank warned developing and middle-income countries and their aid donors not to cut back on their health budgets and services because of the risk to people's health and livelihoods.' -- AFP