In a masterful speech at the University of Queensland on 15 November, President Barack Obama spoke about the need for basic public health systems to control epidemics like Ebola. "What we have learned from the Ebola outbreak, is that in this globalised world, where the Pacific is like a lake, if countries are so poor that they can’t afford basic public health infrastructure, that threatens our health. We cannot build a moat around our countries and we shouldn’t try.