The United Nations Security Council last week declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa "a threat to international peace and security," the first time the world body has ever recognized a disease as posing such a danger. That momentous step is overdue.
The outbreak has already killed more than 2,900 people and the death count is growing exponentially. This terrifying prospect is the direct result of the failure to muster an ambitious, organized and comprehensive response. There will be many more deaths before the pandemic is contained and defeated.
This outbreak was first detected in March in southeastern Guinea. Apart from those who have already died, the virus has infected more than 5,350 people, mostly in Guinea but also in the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia. The virus has also spread to Senegal and Nigeria.