Health and hygiene problems are closely related. It is obvious these children lack any sort of hygiene habits, in turn taking a toll on their health. The minors’ health situation can be classified in two main areas: Illnesses they obtain through sexual transmission, by general contagion, and through the effects of the use of glue and other types of drugs.

Dr. Rodrigo Simán, Pediatrician holding vast experience working with homeless children states that the most common sexually transmitted illnesses include condyloma and pubic pediculosis, herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, scabies, and fungus on their feet. In a lesser degree they might also have AIDS or syphilis.

The constant inhalation of glue slowly steals these children’s life away; toluene and n-hexane are very toxic substances. In his book, “sequels as a result of prolonged glue inhalation”, Dr. Francisco José Gutierrez Esquivel describes the effects of inhalation as follows: “acute intoxication with toluene produces headaches, euphoria, dizziness and acute cerebella ataxia. Very high levels may bring about severe encephalopathy, complications of the kidneys and death, presumably as a result of cardiac arrhythmias. On the other hand, chronic abuse of this drug leads to a characteristic neurological syndrome, apparent by severe cognizable alterations, acute cerebella ataxia, oculomotor abnormalities, shaking, deafness and hyposmia. Whilst toluene attacks the central nervous system, n-hexane attacks the peripheral nervous system. At the same time, this glue covers the children’s lungs, making their breathing very difficult as a result of the weight it puts on the lungs. Their breathing capabilities diminish, until finally the child overcomes the weight of the glue, through excessive physical efforts, causing pulmonary hemorrhage.