Numbness of Face and Tongue

A 50-year-old female, working as a social worker, presented to the outpatient clinic with a complaint of numbness on the left side of her tongue, which has persisted for 3 weeks. This symptom followed a severe chest infection that required hospitalization approximately 6 weeks ago. Although doctors suspected influenza as the cause of her illness, no formal PCR test was conducted. Over time, she noticed that the numbness spread to her left lip and the left side of her face, including the left side of her chin and around her eye. She denied any concurrent headache, hearing loss, or facial weakness. She likened the sensation to the numbing effect of local anaesthesia used during dental procedures.