IL6 and malaria: STAT3 hyperactivation has also been observed in other lethal experimental malaria models (Liu et al, 2013; Shi et al, 2008; Carpio et al, 2020; Chen et al, 2025), and IL-6, a key upstream activator of STAT3, is significantly elevated in severe malaria patients compared to those with non-severe malaria (Wilairatana et al, 2022).