WaterStep deploys bleach hubs in Ebola response across Central Africa

By AI, Created 5:26 PM UTC, June 04, 2026, /AGP/ – WaterStep has launched emergency operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya as a fast-moving Ebola outbreak strains local health systems. The nonprofit is setting up on-site bleach production near affected communities to help clinics and frontline workers disinfect faster and reduce reliance on fragile supply chains.

Why it matters: - WaterStep’s bleach hubs are meant to give health workers a fast local source of disinfectant during an outbreak that WHO says is moving ahead of the medical response in parts of Central Africa. - On-site production matters because Ebola control depends heavily on surface disinfection, hand hygiene and infection prevention in clinics, schools, markets and transport hubs. - The response is aimed at areas where conflict, displacement and weak infrastructure make supply chains unreliable.

What happened: - WaterStep launched emergency operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya. - The organization is establishing emergency bleach production hubs near affected communities and healthcare facilities. - In Goma, DRC, WaterStep teams distributed bleach and handwashing stations to schools, clinics and public gathering spaces. - In Bunia, DRC, WaterStep secured facilities to mass produce chlorine bleach for hospitals, schools, markets and churches. - WaterStep is also expanding infection prevention work into Uganda and Kenya along key cross-border travel routes. - The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus. - WHO reported on June 2, 2026, 321 confirmed cases and 116 suspected cases in the DRC, with 48 confirmed deaths and more than 240 suspected deaths. - WHO also reported nine confirmed cases, one death and one suspected case in Uganda.

The details: - WHO says there are no approved vaccines or licensed therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain. - WHO has assessed the risk as very high in the DRC and high at the regional level. - WHO recommends chlorine-based disinfection of affected health facilities and surrounding communities. - WHO also recommends functional handwashing stations at all key entry and transit points. - WHO calls for sustained community sensitization to reduce stigma, encourage early care-seeking and reinforce safe practices. - WaterStep says its response package is aligned with WHO guidance. - Mark Hogg, WaterStep founder and CEO, said the organization’s technology allows hospitals and clinics to produce disinfectant that exceeds WHO standards on site using water, salt and electricity. - Hogg said facilities can begin producing bleach within hours and keep producing it as long as the outbreak lasts. - WaterStep’s patented BleachMaker was developed after the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa. - The portable system uses water, salt and electricity to produce chlorine bleach on site in less than 90 minutes. - WaterStep says the technology helped during the DRC’s 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak, when damaged roads, insecurity and remote geography made transport of liquid bleach difficult. - Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe said in 2020 that more than 100 doctors used WaterStep’s BleachMaker in 2019 to help reduce further Ebola infection in the DRC. - WaterStep says it has responded to more than a dozen deadly outbreaks of Ebola, cholera, typhoid and COVID-19 since 2014. - WaterStep said a donation page for the response is available at More information.

Between the lines: - The outbreak response reflects a practical gap in epidemic control: even when treatment knowledge exists, frontline facilities can still fail if they cannot reliably get bleach and other basic supplies. - WaterStep is leaning on a model it has used before, betting that local production is faster and more durable than shipping disinfectant into hard-to-reach areas. - The cross-border spread raises the stakes beyond a single national response and makes transport corridors part of the public health challenge.

What’s next: - WaterStep is expected to keep expanding infection prevention support in the DRC, Uganda and Kenya as the outbreak evolves. - Frontline facilities in affected areas will continue producing bleach on site if the hubs operate as planned. - The effectiveness of the response will depend on how quickly local communities and healthcare sites can scale disinfection and hygiene measures.

The bottom line: - WaterStep is using a proven local-bleach model to fill a basic but urgent outbreak need: disinfectant where and when clinics can actually use it.