‘Gossip Girl’ Taylor Momsen Says She Needs Rabies Treatment After Bat Bite During Concert

Singer Taylor Momsen, also known for her role on the hit series “Gossip Girl,” says she will need a rabies vaccine after being bitten by a bat while on stage last night. last week.

Momsen, 30, was performing with her band The Pretty Reckless in Seville, Spain, on Wednesday when the scary encounter happened.

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 at her, she wasn’t sure what they were trying to draw her attention to .

Momsen then walks away from the microphone, looks at her thigh and shouts, “Oh my God.” The singer returns to the microphone and tells 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 away. The video then cuts to the “Gossip Girl” alum apparently receiving medical treatment, as well as a photo of her leg with what appear to be bat marks.

In Friday’s Instagram post, Momsen said of the bat: “He was cute, but yeah 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 contract rabies in the United States, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The rabies virus is transmitted by direct contact with the saliva or brain of an infected animal. Although rabies can be fatal in humans, it is easily preventable.

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

“Each person who may have been exposed to rabies should be evaluated promptly to determine if they need the vaccine,” the CDC adds. “People who need the vaccine and do not receive it before symptoms appear will most likely die, so this assessment is crucial. »

It is unclear whether Momsen tested positive for rabies. On Saturday, Momsen shared another photo of a “no bats” sign posted by the AC/DC crew, for whom The Pretty Reckless is opening for on their Power Up tour. Momsen continued to play despite encountering a bat.

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