A coronial report has revealed a Talgarno mum of four died as a result of a bacterial infection only days after contracting the flu.
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Danelle Filby, 38, died suddenly at the family home on Sunday, July 28 after coming down with a sore throat and flu symptoms on Friday.
Her husband, James Filby, has finally received confirmation of her cause of death, which revealed a strep and staph infection resulted in heart failure in his beloved wife.
Forensic pathology delivered its finding to the Coroner as staphylococcus aureus and beta haemolytic streptococcus (Group A) pneumonia in a woman with Influenza B.
After speaking with the Coroner, Mr Filby said it appeared the flu virus compromised Danelle's immune system, paving the way for the killer bugs to take hold.
"The problem is even though it's absolutely separate, the flu masks the problem; the sore throat she had was strep," he said.
"The bacterial infection starts in the lungs (transmitted by coughing, sneezing), gets into the blood and shuts down the organs.
"The Coroner said it was rare for this to happen so quickly - it was just a freak case."
Mr Filby was also struck down by the same infection and Influenza B, which left him fighting for his life at Albury hospital for three weeks.
He said he had endured sleepless nights wondering what did he miss and what he could have done differently to save Danelle.
"I've been blaming myself for letting her down," he said.
"But the Coroner said there was nothing more I could have done to save her.
"I mean look at me - I went to hospital three times (Sunday, Monday and Wednesday) before I was admitted - the infection would have claimed her before she had the tests I had."
Mr Filby confirmed neither himself nor Danelle had the flu vaccination this year.
"We are not anti-vaxxers or anything like that - it just seemed we were in the low-risk category given we were young, fit and healthy," he said.
"I think it's important for the community, who have been so engaged with our journey so far, to understand you can die in a day and a half from something like this.
"It's a fair assessment to say if she'd had the Influenza B vaccination Danelle would still be alive."
The full report will be made available from the Coroner's office in coming weeks.
- A memorial service to celebrate the life of Danelle Filby will be held at Wodonga Baptist Church on Friday, September 13 at 2pm.