‘Gossip Girl’ actor says she needs rabies treatment after bat bite during concert

(NEXSTAR) — Singer Taylor Momsen, also known for her role in the hit show “Gossip Girl,” says she’ll need rabies shots after being bit by a bat while on stage last week.

Momsen, 30, was performing with her band The Pretty Reckless in Sevilla, Spain, on Wednesday when the spooky encounter occurred.

In a video posted to Instagram on Friday, Momsen can be seen on stage speaking to the crowd, telling them that while they were pointing to her, she wasn’t sure what they were trying to draw her attention to.

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Momsen then walks away from the microphone, looks at her thigh, and yells, “Oh my God.” The singer returns to the mic, telling the crowd what many of them already knew: a bat was clinging to her leg.

“I must really be a witch,” Momsen says as a man comes to check on her leg, moments after the bat appears to fly off. The video then cuts to the “Gossip Girl” alum, apparently receiving medical treatment, as well as a shot of her leg with what looks to be marks from the bat.

In Friday’s Instagram post, Momsen said of the bat, “he was cute, but yes he bit me…so rabies shots for the next two weeks.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that, if you are bitten or scratched by a bat, you should wash the wound with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately.

Bat bites are the most common way to get rabies in the U.S., according to the Cleveland Clinic. The rabies virus is spread through direct contact with the saliva or brain matter of an infected animal. While rabies can be deadly in humans, it is easily preventable.

After a possible rabies exposure, the CDC says a person will undergo post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, which includes caring for the wound, “a dose of human rabies immune globulin,” and four or five rabies vaccines. If done immediately, the CDC says PEP is “nearly 100% effective.”

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“Each person who may have been exposed to rabies must be assessed quickly to determine if they need the vaccine,” the CDC adds. “People who need the vaccine and don’t get it before symptoms start will most likely die, so this assessment is critical.”

It’s unclear whether Momsen tested positive for rabies. On Saturday, Momsen shared another photo of a ‘no bats’ sign posted by the crew for AC/DC, whom The Pretty Reckless is opening for on their Power Up Tour. Momsen has continued performing despite the bat encounter.

In addition to The Pretty Reckless, which played its first show in Brooklyn’s The Annex, Momsen’s resume includes roles as Cindy Lou Who in the 2000 film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and Jenny Humphrey in the TV series “Gossip Girl.”

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