Jakarta, March 5 -- Health expert Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama has cautioned residents in flood-affected areas of Jakarta to be vigilant about leptospirosis, a disease spread through rat feces and urine.

"When flooding occurs, rats that live in burrows will come out to save themselves. These rats will roam around humans, and their feces and urine will mix with the floodwater," Aditama explained in a text message received here on Wednesday.

He stated that individuals with open wounds are particularly vulnerable to infection and falling ill if their wounds come into contact with floodwaters contaminated with rat feces or urine containing the leptospira bacteria.

Clinical symptoms of leptospirosis include fever above 38 degrees Celsius, hea...