Health is very closely tied to race because the racial orientation determines nutrition, medical care, education, and housing. Of South Africa's 10 million children, 8 million are black. The remaining 2 million consist of white, coloured, and asian children. In many black homes children do not receive some of the basic necessities they require to stay healthy. For example, some of these children do not have access to enough water for bathing. As a result these children then suffer from skin infections and other diseases like Bilharzias.

Children's health status in South Africa is also influenced by where they live and the amount of income their family earns. Specifically, the health of Africans in rural areas or orphaned coloured children and Indian children is as bad as those living in poorest countries in the world. Additionally children living in South Africa's dangerous, indigent areas do not receive equal health care to those residing in wealthier areas. A third health factor is the location of residence.

HIV and AIDS are the number one cause of death in South Africa today. Even with the government-mandated health care, survival outlook is bleak. Statistics show at least 1/5 of the population is infected with HIV, and AIDS will kill about half of those children who are now 15 years old. HIV and AIDS are reducing the life expectancy of South Africans by two decades. AIDS is the leading cause of orphaned children in South Africa where one or both parents contract HIV. Already, AIDS has left millions of children without any of the necessary care for their well being. South African children who lose a parent to AIDS are not only socially isolated by their peers, but they also suffer from neglect, malnutrition, loss of schooling, forfeiture of inheritance, and increased exposure to crime. It is predicted that 95% of the 40 million children orphaned by AIDS in the next decade will be from sub-Saharan Africa.

Since 1994, when President Mandela declared free health care for children under the age of six, other health problems also have increasingly plagued many children. South Africa is the country with the most asbestos-related diseases in the world. Children suffer continued infections from the air-borne and water-borne agents that escape from the closed mines. Another South African distinction is having the world's highest occurrence of fetal alcohol syndrome. These children unfortunately experience growth disturbances and facial abnormalities. A fourth health issue is malnutrition, which is a major factor in causing extremely poor health. Low income families often lack financial resources for food.

It is clear that the majority of South Africa's children are suffering with diseases and are not being taken care of properly. While the Children's Charter states that they must receive proper health care, South Africa laws are not being upheld. Solutions include increasing for proper nutrition and health care across racial and economic groups. Hopefully, trained African nurses can help HIV-infected children by educating them on disease management from the present to the end of their lives. Efforts must also be made to educate and deter pregnant women from consuming alcohol.