The baby's nose was bitten by the rodent two-three days back, but the matter came to light yesterday after action was taken against the hospital staff.
The child was born at a private hospital about one-and-a-half month back, but after his health deteriorated his parents admitted him in Dhar district hospital and later disappeared, civil surgeon Dr C S Gangrade said.
During treatment at the district hospital, a rat bit the baby's nose in the Children's Intensive Care Unit, he said.
In a similar incident, a ten-day-old boy had died after being bitten by rats in the intensive care unit of Guntur Government General Hospital in Andhra Pradesh last month.