Elevated levels of IL‐1β lead to inflammatory events such as fever, increased circulating neutrophils, upregulation of surface markers in cells, extensive nitric oxide production, and elevated levels of CRP and inflammatory cytokines (Dinarello, 1996, 2009; Cahill & Rogers, 2008), which are all common in malaria (Mackintosh et al, 2004). Here, IL1B is linked to malaria.