The United Nations has declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa “a threat to international peace and security” and announced plans for a new health mission. U.N. health chief Margaret Chan called the outbreak “likely the greatest peacetime challenge that the United Nations and its agencies have ever faced.” More than 5,000 people have been infected, and more than 2,600 have died. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the number of cases is doubling every three weeks.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “This unprecedented situation requires unprecedented steps to save lives and safeguard peace security. Therefore, I have decided to establish a United Nations emergency health mission, combining the World Health Organization’s strategic perspective with a very strong logistics and operational capability.”