The Erie Times-News reports the child was bitten late last week in Corry, about 20 miles southeast of Erie. The child's identity isn't being released due to medical privacy laws.
Agriculture officials say the child is being treated as a precaution as the dead bat is believed to be rabid and has been sent to a laboratory for testing.
Rabies is treatable, but is nearly always fatal if the disease isn't treated within days of the bite.
Rabid bats are especially dangerous because their bites are small and hard to detect and can sometimes go unnoticed if the person is bitten while sleeping.
