Attaran said support from energized student groups is the only hope for the African AIDS crisis.
"Government programs are so drained of passion you'd think they'd been giving blood each day for the last two years," Attaran said. "They've failed us in terms of advocacy."
Funding is the most important aspect of the crisis where the student input can have a powerful impact, he said.
"The U.S. is dead last among the rich countries in how much of our national income goes to foreign interests," Attaran said.
In Zambia, he said, teachers are dying of AIDS as quickly as they can be trained.
And the problem will not be contained within Africa, Attaran warned the audience.
"These problems will pose grave security risks that will eventually touch the U.S., Europe and all other wealthy countries," he said. "We can't afford to be complacent."