Informational events about AIDS Friday enabled students to inform the campus about the global epidemic, while other Duke leaders work to eliminate the need for World AIDS Day.
The fight will be a difficult one, however.
"AIDS is an absolute pandemic that affects every continent and is continuing to grow," said Sherryl Broverman, associate professor of biology.
The length of latency and stigma attached to the disease contribute to its continuation as a pandemic, she said.
Scientists at Duke's Center for AIDS Research have been developing an AIDS vaccine, searching for therapeutic compounds and investigating opportunistic infections, said Kent Weinhold, CFAR director.
"Vaccine development is a real strength at Duke," he said. "Duke plays a role in monitoring phase one and phase two clinical trials for two vaccines, which were developed outside of the University."
The vaccines will soon enter phase three, the final phase of clinical trials, Weinhold added. "The big hope right now is a vaccine that can prevent infection," he said.
"Current treatments are expensive and difficult to make available to the third world," Weinhold added.
Duke researchers have also discovered a new class of compounds called fuzeons, which inhibit cell fusion and are effective in AIDS therapy, Weinhold said. The drugs are fully licensed and being used to treat AIDS patients.
"There are new potentially therapeutic compounds in the lab, and they are looking to enter clinic trials soon," he said.
Opportunistic infections affect AIDS patients in a later stage of the disease, Weinhold added. "We have researchers who are studying the mechanisms by which fungi or bacteria take foothold in AIDS patients," Weinhold said.
The Center for AIDS Research has extended internationally by establishing a clinical site in Tanzania, he said.
"We hope to translate findings to Moshi, Tanzania to improve clinic care for patients there as well," Weinhold added.
The Global Health Institute hopes to work closely with groups in the Center for AIDS Research in finding new approaches for the treatment and prevention of AIDS, said Michael Merson, director of the institute.
Prior to taking the directorship at Duke, Merson was the director of a global health AIDS program for the World Health Organization.
"A great amount of momentum has been building up during the last five years in terms of monetary and research contributions to AIDS," he said.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a comprehensive five-year program involving 15 billion dollars, has seen some early success in treating half a million people, Merson said.
Duke students are also taking an active role in combatting the disease by organizing campaigns to increase HIV awareness on campus.
Know Your Status is a student-run program that offers free and confidential HIV testing in the Bryan Center every Monday.
"We try to reduce the stigma associated with testing by providing a convenient and easy test with results in 20 minutes," said senior Sarah Rutstein, founder and director of Know Your Status.
"At the same time, it is a serious test that is emotionally difficult for many people," she added.
The program provides pamphlets and free condoms on site to encourage safe and informed sexual behavior.
"Many people seem to have the idea that the Duke bubble somehow protects you from someone who is HIV positive," Rutstein said. "The next step for any program is to bring HIV home to Duke and inform students that this is a problem for everyone, whether you live in sub-Saharan Africa or not."
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