As far as creative punishments go, this one is pretty good. Or bad.
A video of a US couple telling their son he has Ebola as a joke has gone viral with nearly two million views in two days.
But it's divided viewers over whether it's a hilarious joke or cruel trick to play on a child.
It was originally posted on social media site Vine by Tevyn Demmings with the caption: 'When you lie and tell a bad ass kid they got Ebola #funny #Ebola'
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In the brief clip, the mother, seen wearing a mask over her mouth and holding a thermometer, says: 'Look at his temperature!'
She shows it to the father, who is off-camera, who immediately declares: 'Oh hell no! He got Ebola!'
At this point, the boy screams in terror and bursts into tears at the news while his younger brother runs off.
It was subsequently uploaded to YouTube, where the prank has divided viewers, with some proclaiming it is 'cruel' and 'heartless' and others defending it as 'hilarious'.
One user commented: 'It's not the prank that boils my blood, but the fact they recorded it then uploaded it to the public on the web as a light-hearted joke.'
Another said: 'God forgive me, but I'm laughing so loud. Poor baby.'
The father proclaims 'he got Ebola!' at which point the boy lets out a wail of terror and bursts into tears
There's no consoling the little guy, who continues to cry after his 'diagnosis' of the disease
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