A recent study by Ademoule et al. found that pro-inflammatory cytokine responses during acute malaria, including TNF, IFNγ, IL1β, IL2, IL8, IL6, IL12 and GM-CSF, were decreased in areas with high transmission intensity, lending support to the idea that disease tolerance driven by sustained exposure is reflected by plasma cytokine concentration. Here, CXCL8 is linked to malaria.