A sick child gets a check up by a doctor. Photo / Getty
A mother came under fire when she admitted she was considering taking her sick five-year-old son on a plane.
The British woman explained her son had been vomiting for nearly 48 hours and the family was due to go on holiday the following morning according to DailyMail.
Taking to Mumsnet, she asked whether she should take her son on the seven-hour flight, or risk losing the £6,500 they had already paid for the trip.
The post divided opinion on the online forum, with some branding the more 'irresponsible' and accusing her of putting other passengers' health at risk.
Explaining the situation, the mother wrote: 'Ds (5) [my five-year-old] was sick on Monday in the night (now Wednesday here in Uk), lots of sick.
'Kept him off school yesterday and had a sofa day. He was fine in himself mostly. Up and down. Lying down sometimes but also jumping around. Saying his heart was hurting. No other symptoms except being sick...
'Anyway, ds [darling son] sick again last night, tiny amount of sick. Then a further three times with just water and bile. Again no other symptoms.
'The problem is we are going on a long haul holiday tomorrow morning. We are meant to get up at 5 am, drive for two hours to the airport, then do 7 hour flight! We don't know if we should cancel holiday or still go.
'We would loose the total price of the holiday to cancel £6,500. Or £200 per person to try and change dates on it with hotel provider.
'The flights look like they are non- transferable and we would loose the cost automatically. We don't have travel insurance.'
Some parents argued the mother should go ahead with the holiday, reasoning that her son would likely feel better soon.
One posted: 'Not a popular opinion but I would just go. If he seemed fine in himself then was sick again it was probably the last of the bug coming out.
'Say it's travel sickness if he's sick on the plane but sounds as if he'll be okay as you've not mentioned a temperature.'
Another agreed: 'Go. If he was first ill on Monday night he is unlikely to be contagious tomorrow I would have thought?
'Unless he is today of course, in which case you need to reconsider. Sounds like a tummy bug to me, which has run its course.'
However others criticised the parents for even considering the 'selfish' move.
'Well you risk infecting an entire planeful of tourists and ruining their holiday, but so long as you get your £6.5k's worth that's all that matters, eh?,' one wrote.
'I wouldn't go. The money is spent whether you go and have a miserable time or stay at home and care for your child. 7 hours on a flight when he is sick or recovering sounds miserable for him - he's only 5.'
A second added: 'What about all the other people who have spent 6.5k on their holidays? If it is a bug then you and your dh will be incubating it and likely to come down with it soon or on the plane.
'And ds is likely to be contagious too. I would be pretty pissed off if you sat near me on a plane and ruined my holiday too.'
The majority of posters pointed out the woman should have paid for insurance. The mother later admitted she had 'learnt her lesson'.