“[C]rucially, the establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2002 — with key support from the United States during President George W. Bush’s administration — has made the worldwide fight against AIDS (and the other daunting diseases) a winnable one,” columnist Fannie Flono writes in a Charlotte Observer opinion piece, highlighting progress made against the three diseases. “But continued treatment and thus prevention efforts depend on continued financial support,” she writes, noting, “The Global Fund is seeking $15 billion worldwide to support even more ambitious and aggressive strategies to combat these diseases with the goal of saving 10 million lives.” She states, “Organizers of the December Global Fund meeting are making a particular push for the United States to continue its commitment and pledge $5 billion over the next three years,” and she concludes, “The U.S. has been a leader over the last decade in tackling these diseases. Now, when science and treatments are putting us at the precipice of eradicating these scourges, the world can’t afford for the U.S. to step back” (11/7).