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Muhammad Ivan gets worried every time the rainy season rolls around because of his tendency to fall ill during this period.

“I’ve been sick a lot lately. It varies from the common cold to high fever,” he said on Tuesday. “Sometimes I can shake it off with over-the-counter drugs, but often I have to stay home for days because I’m too sick to get up.”

The 21-year-old university student said he could not avoid getting caught in sudden downpours on his commute to his campus in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, by motorcycle from his home in Pondok Gede, Bekasi.

Last week he was caught in a torrential downpour for 20 minutes before he could find shelter. Despite wearing a raincoat and a helmet, Ivan still wound up with a high fever and missed a mid-term exam.

Health officials annually warn about the surge in diseases when the rainy season sets in. Zaenal Abidin, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), says that in Jakarta, rains result in floods, which lead to sanitation crises that then trigger infectious diseases.

“Watch out for severe influenza, dengue fever, diarrhea, skin rashes and leptospirosis,” he said. “People can get easily infected with these kinds of diseases during the rainy season.”

He said that in many cases, diseases were transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes and rats. The proliferation of standing puddles allows mosquito numbers to increase drastically, while the flooding flushes rats out of their hiding places and into homes. Once inside, they contaminate the area with their urine, which raises the risk of leptospirosis in humans.

“Therefore it’s important to avoid contact with mud,” Zaenal said. “Wear boots if you have to.”

Erik Tapan, a general practitioner, said that during the rainy season, children with weak immune systems were more vulnerable to cholera, diphtheria and measles. He said to minimize those health risks, parents should prepare and pack breakfasts and lunches for their children rather than let them buy food cooked somewhere else in less-than-ideal conditions.

“If you do have to eat outside, choose a food stall that looks clean and go for hot and freshly cooked food like noodles or soto,” he said. “And wash your hands after touching door knobs, elevator buttons or even trolleys at the supermarket.”

Erik added that it was also important to keep houses free from bacteria and mosquito spawn by cleaning out water tanks and burying empty containers that could retain water.