Wedding rush sparked by free malaria nets

The Onion is good, but it definitely doesn’t have a monopoly on satirical journalism. Yesterday Uganda’s Weekly Observer published this breaking headline:

Uganda: Millions More to Wed As Govt Doles Out Mosquito Nets

“When we asked the couples why they have chosen this particular time to enter holy matrimony, they all had the same answer: that government was going to give them free wedding gowns!” said a source at Peter’s Church of Uganda in Kampala. The source added that when they investigated further, they realized that the couples were referring to the government’s recent announcement to distribute over 17 million free mosquito nets to combat malaria, which is the leading killer disease in the country. According to health officials, malaria kills 320 people daily.

Asked whether converting mosquito nets into wedding gowns would not undermine government efforts to reduce malaria deaths, one church official said that “the soul is more important than the body.”

Well played, Weekly Observer. Well played.