Barrak Alahmad
Biographic Data
| ID | 4622125 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Barrak Alahmad |
| GIVEN NAMES | Barrak |
| FAMILY NAME | Alahmad |
| SIGNATURE | ALAHMAD B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Harvard University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9523-9537 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Congo’s conflicts, minerals and microbes
The abrupt re-escalation of the three-decade conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in January 2025, the July peace deal and new mineral extraction agreements highlight the Congo Basin’s global significance. Known as the world’s largest rare mineral reserve, the ‘second lung of the planet’, and a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases, the region embodies critical planetary health challenges. The conflict intensifies sylvati…
Associations of ambient exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene with daily mortality
Are there more cold deaths than heat deaths
Peer reviewed
Ozone-related acute excess mortality projected to increase in the absence of climate and air quality controls consistent with the Paris Agreement
Climate change and health in Kuwait
It is uncertain what climate change could bring to populations and countries in the hot desert environment of the Arabian Peninsula. Not only because they are already hot, countries in this region also have unique demographic profiles, with migrant populations potentially more vulnerable and constituting a large share of the population. In Kuwait, two-thirds of the population are migrant workers and record-high temperatures are already common. We…
Air Pollution and Respiratory Hospital Admissions in Kuwait
Dust is a major component of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) in arid regions; therefore, concentrations of this pollutant in countries such as Kuwait exceed air quality standards. There is limited understanding on the impact and burden of high PM 2.5 concentrations on morbidity in these countries. In this study, we explore the association of PM 2.5 and the risk of respiratory hospital admissions in Kuwait. A time-series regression model was use…
Global, regional, and national burden of mortality associated with non-optimal ambient temperatures from 2000 to 2019
BACKGROUND: Exposure to cold or hot temperatures is associated with premature deaths. We aimed to evaluate the global, regional, and national mortality burden associated with non-optimal ambient temperatures. METHODS: In this modelling study, we collected time-series data on mortality and ambient temperatures from 750 locations in 43 countries and five meta-predictors at a grid size of 0·5° × 0·5° across the globe. A three-stage analysis strategy…
The Impact of Strict Public Health Measures on Covid-19 Transmission in Developing Countries
Background: Many countries have succeeded in curbing the initial outbreak of COVID-19 by imposing strict public health control measures. However, little is known about the effectiveness of such control measures in curbing the outbreak in developing countries. In this study, we seek to assess the impact of various outbreak control measures in Kuwait to gain more insight into the outbreak progression and the associated healthcare burden. Methods: W…
Previous Covid-19 Infection and Antibody Levels After Vaccination
Background: The emergence of new COVID-19 variants of concern coupled with a global inequity in vaccine access and distribution has prompted many public health authorities to circumvent the vaccine shortages by altering vaccination protocols and prioritizing persons at high risk. Individuals with previous COVID-19 infection may not have been prioritized due to existing humoral immunity. Objective: We aimed to study the association between previou…
The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change
Climate change affects human health; however, there have been no large-scale, systematic efforts to quantify the heat-related human health impacts that have already occurred due to climate change. Here, we use empirical data from 732 locations in 43 countries to estimate the mortality burdens associated with the additional heat exposure that has resulted from recent human-induced warming, during the period 1991-2018. Across all study countries, w…
Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss among Migrant Workers in Kuwait
Although the effect of hearing loss on years lived with disability (YLD) is quite substantial, occupational hearing loss among migrant workers is significantly under-studied. In Kuwait, where nearly two-thirds of the population are migrant workers, the burden of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is unknown. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of ONIHL among migrant workers in Kuwait and explore workplace and indi…
The effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on Sars-CoV-2 transmission in different socioeconomic populations in Kuwait
Our results indicate and quantify how the same lockdown intervention can accentuate disease transmission in some subpopulations while potentially controlling it in others. Any such control may further become compromised in the presence of cross-transmission between subpopulations. Future interventions and policies need to be sensitive to socioeconomic and health disparities
Disparities in excess deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic among migrant workers in Kuwait
The burden of mortality brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is substantially higher than what the official tally might suggest. Systematically disadvantaged migrant workers shouldered a larger burden of deaths in the pandemic year. Public health interventions must consider structural and societal determinants that give rise to the health disparities seen among migrant workers
Covid-19 stressors on migrant workers in Kuwait
As a marginalised subpopulation, migrant workers often fall short from protection by public policies, they take precarious jobs with unsafe working and living conditions and they grapple with cultural and linguistic barriers. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, migrant workers are now exposed to additional stressors of the virus and related responses. We applied a comprehensive qualitative cumulative risk assessment framework for migrant w…
Spatial Distribution of Land Surface Temperatures in Kuwait
The global rise of urbanization has led to the formation of surface urban heat islands and surface urban cool islands. Urban heat islands have been shown to increase thermal discomfort, which increases heat stress and heat-related diseases. In Kuwait, a hyper-arid desert climate, most of the population lives in urban and suburban areas. In this study, we characterized the spatial distribution of land surface temperatures and investigated the pres…
Dust Events and Indoor Air Quality in Residential Homes in Kuwait
Kuwait is a developed Middle Eastern country that is impacted by frequent dust storms from regional and/or remote deserts. The effectiveness of keeping homes tightly closed during these events to reduce dust exposures was assessed using indoor and outdoor particle samples at 10 residences within the metropolitan Kuwait City area. Specifically, this study compared indoor and outdoor levels of black carbon and 19 trace elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, …
Covid-19 clinical outcomes and nationality
This is the first study to report on COVID-19 outcomes between Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti patients. The current pandemic may have amplified the differences of health outcomes among marginalized subpopulations. A number of socioeconomic and environmental factors could explain this health disparity. More research is needed to advance the understanding of policymakers in Kuwait in order to make urgent public health interventions
Are there more cold deaths than heat deaths
Peer reviewed
Covid-19 stressors on migrant workers in Kuwait
As a marginalised subpopulation, migrant workers often fall short from protection by public policies, they take precarious jobs with unsafe working and living conditions and they grapple with cultural and linguistic barriers. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, migrant workers are now exposed to additional stressors of the virus and related responses. We applied a comprehensive qualitative cumulative risk assessment framework for migrant w…
Spatial Distribution of Land Surface Temperatures in Kuwait
The global rise of urbanization has led to the formation of surface urban heat islands and surface urban cool islands. Urban heat islands have been shown to increase thermal discomfort, which increases heat stress and heat-related diseases. In Kuwait, a hyper-arid desert climate, most of the population lives in urban and suburban areas. In this study, we characterized the spatial distribution of land surface temperatures and investigated the pres…
Dust Events and Indoor Air Quality in Residential Homes in Kuwait
Kuwait is a developed Middle Eastern country that is impacted by frequent dust storms from regional and/or remote deserts. The effectiveness of keeping homes tightly closed during these events to reduce dust exposures was assessed using indoor and outdoor particle samples at 10 residences within the metropolitan Kuwait City area. Specifically, this study compared indoor and outdoor levels of black carbon and 19 trace elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, …
Covid-19 clinical outcomes and nationality
This is the first study to report on COVID-19 outcomes between Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti patients. The current pandemic may have amplified the differences of health outcomes among marginalized subpopulations. A number of socioeconomic and environmental factors could explain this health disparity. More research is needed to advance the understanding of policymakers in Kuwait in order to make urgent public health interventions
Global, regional, and national burden of mortality associated with non-optimal ambient temperatures from 2000 to 2019
BACKGROUND: Exposure to cold or hot temperatures is associated with premature deaths. We aimed to evaluate the global, regional, and national mortality burden associated with non-optimal ambient temperatures. METHODS: In this modelling study, we collected time-series data on mortality and ambient temperatures from 750 locations in 43 countries and five meta-predictors at a grid size of 0·5° × 0·5° across the globe. A three-stage analysis strategy…
The Impact of Strict Public Health Measures on Covid-19 Transmission in Developing Countries
Background: Many countries have succeeded in curbing the initial outbreak of COVID-19 by imposing strict public health control measures. However, little is known about the effectiveness of such control measures in curbing the outbreak in developing countries. In this study, we seek to assess the impact of various outbreak control measures in Kuwait to gain more insight into the outbreak progression and the associated healthcare burden. Methods: W…
Previous Covid-19 Infection and Antibody Levels After Vaccination
Background: The emergence of new COVID-19 variants of concern coupled with a global inequity in vaccine access and distribution has prompted many public health authorities to circumvent the vaccine shortages by altering vaccination protocols and prioritizing persons at high risk. Individuals with previous COVID-19 infection may not have been prioritized due to existing humoral immunity. Objective: We aimed to study the association between previou…
The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change
Climate change affects human health; however, there have been no large-scale, systematic efforts to quantify the heat-related human health impacts that have already occurred due to climate change. Here, we use empirical data from 732 locations in 43 countries to estimate the mortality burdens associated with the additional heat exposure that has resulted from recent human-induced warming, during the period 1991-2018. Across all study countries, w…
Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss among Migrant Workers in Kuwait
Although the effect of hearing loss on years lived with disability (YLD) is quite substantial, occupational hearing loss among migrant workers is significantly under-studied. In Kuwait, where nearly two-thirds of the population are migrant workers, the burden of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is unknown. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of ONIHL among migrant workers in Kuwait and explore workplace and indi…
The effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on Sars-CoV-2 transmission in different socioeconomic populations in Kuwait
Our results indicate and quantify how the same lockdown intervention can accentuate disease transmission in some subpopulations while potentially controlling it in others. Any such control may further become compromised in the presence of cross-transmission between subpopulations. Future interventions and policies need to be sensitive to socioeconomic and health disparities
Disparities in excess deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic among migrant workers in Kuwait
The burden of mortality brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is substantially higher than what the official tally might suggest. Systematically disadvantaged migrant workers shouldered a larger burden of deaths in the pandemic year. Public health interventions must consider structural and societal determinants that give rise to the health disparities seen among migrant workers
Climate change and health in Kuwait
It is uncertain what climate change could bring to populations and countries in the hot desert environment of the Arabian Peninsula. Not only because they are already hot, countries in this region also have unique demographic profiles, with migrant populations potentially more vulnerable and constituting a large share of the population. In Kuwait, two-thirds of the population are migrant workers and record-high temperatures are already common. We…
Air Pollution and Respiratory Hospital Admissions in Kuwait
Dust is a major component of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) in arid regions; therefore, concentrations of this pollutant in countries such as Kuwait exceed air quality standards. There is limited understanding on the impact and burden of high PM 2.5 concentrations on morbidity in these countries. In this study, we explore the association of PM 2.5 and the risk of respiratory hospital admissions in Kuwait. A time-series regression model was use…
Ozone-related acute excess mortality projected to increase in the absence of climate and air quality controls consistent with the Paris Agreement
Associations of ambient exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene with daily mortality
Are there more cold deaths than heat deaths
Peer reviewed
Congo’s conflicts, minerals and microbes
The abrupt re-escalation of the three-decade conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in January 2025, the July peace deal and new mineral extraction agreements highlight the Congo Basin’s global significance. Known as the world’s largest rare mineral reserve, the ‘second lung of the planet’, and a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases, the region embodies critical planetary health challenges. The conflict intensifies sylvati…
Medicine (12 works) · Climate Change and Health Impacts (10 works) · Environmental health (8 works) · Population (8 works) · Geography (7 works) · Air Quality and Health Impacts (6 works) · Demography (6 works) · Demography (6 works) · Environmental Science (6 works) · Climate change (5 works)