Although P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria patients have similar cytokine profiles during infection, P. falciparum patients presented higher levels of IFN‐γ and TNF‐α, in acute phase and of IFN‐γ, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐17, and G‐CSF in convalescent phase than P. vivax patients. Here, TNF is linked to malaria.