Aid agencies are warning over a possible spike in the number of cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after the suspension of control activities due to violence.

DRC is currently experiencing its worst outbreak of the disease ever, with 585 cases of Ebola since August, including 356 deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating the response to the disease in conjunction with the DRC government but, alongside international aid agencies, it had to suspend some of its activities last week after a delay in elections of a new president led to violent protests and attacks on aid workers.

The country voted for a new leader over the weekend but voting in the Ebola-affected cities of Beni and Butembo in the North Kivu region of the country has been delayed until March, long after DRC’s new leader will have been inaugurated in January.

Protests at government buildings in the town of Beni on December 27 spilled over to an Ebola transit centre, run by aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières, where patients were waiting for test results, forcing staff to withdraw from the building.

MSF said its work in the centre is still suspended but staff are ready to return as soon as the situation is safe enough to do so.