At 12 months, higher plasma IFN-γ (IRR 1.26, 95% CI 1.11-1.44, P = 0.0004) and IL-5 (IRR 1.27, 95% CI 1.04-1.55, P = 0.0203) correlated with higher incidence of malaria up to 24 months, while higher IL-17 plasma concentrations were associated with lower malaria risk during the 12-24 month period (IRR 0.84, 95% CI 0.71-0.98, P = 0.0300). Here, IFNG is linked to malaria.