The first case of HIV/AIDS was detected in Barbados in 1984. At that time, HIV/AIDS was viewed more as a consequence of risky personal behavior by men who have sex with men than as a public health issue that affects the general population. Since then the number of reported HIV cases has risen continuously particularly among 15-49 year olds and the most economically active group, 25-49 year olds. Today, prevalence among adults in Barbados is conservatively estimated at over 3 percent. But people who test positive are estimated to represent only one-fifth of the infected population.