List of vaccinations:

• Hepatitis A & B (combo)
• Typhoid (oral)
• Polio
• Yellow Fever
• Meningococcal
• Rabies
• Japanese Encephalitis
• Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (combo)
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (combo)

Rx:

• Anti-malarials (doxycycline)
• Anti-diarrhea (Cipro)

OTC, preventatives:

• Multi-vitamin
• Allergy pills
• Sunscreen (SPF 60)
• DEET

Vaccinations notes:

• Tick-borne encephalitis is a major concern for eastern & central Russia/Siberia, but the vaccination is not available in the US. By the time I get to Russia it will be too late to start the vaccination regimen. So I’ll have to rely on DEET, tick self -checks, and long-sleeves, pants & a hat for prevention. Just FYI, Japanese Encephalitis is mosquito-borne.
• I received all 10 of those vaccs in one sitting. Some go into the shoulder muscle (IM, or intramuscular), others go into the tricep area (SubQ, or subcutaneous). Aside from soreness at the injection spots I felt no ill effects.
• Some vaccinations require multiple visits. Rabies requires 3 injections (at $250 per!), spaced out over 1 month, Hep A & B combo and even longer period — 1st and last are 6 months apart. So start early. I didn’t and will only get the first two, and so have less protection.
• Out of pocket costs for the vaccinations will be about $2000. My health insurance (Aetna) says they will reimburse the cost, but it’s still being processed. Will post results. [Update: Even with a written promise that they would cover all vaccinations, Aetna declined to cover the expense after the fact, saying that the facility I used for the vaccs was an Urgent Care facility. The facility is also used for occupational health, physical exams, physical therapy, travel vaccinations, and other purposes. Another fine example of the pointlessness (other than greed) of health “insurance” companies.]
• A Yellow Fever vaccination, along with the official card w/stamp, is required for entry into some countries.

Rx notes:

• There are a few choices for anti-malarials. Some malaria bugs have developed resistance to some anti-malarial drugs, others differ on side effects, and also on price. Malarone seems to have fewer side effects, but costs twice as much as doxycycline. The CDC site has a list of countries with their respective malaria bugs and to which drugs they have developed resistance.

OTC:

• It turns out that 34% DEET is strong enough to do the job. I didn’t know this and got the 100% stuff. I’m sure there’s no harm other than to my wallet.

First Aid
I built a kit piecewise:

• Non-stick absorbent pads for road-rash
• Burn ointment (both for sunburn and “oh I guess that header pipe really is hot” moments)
• A few big surgical compresses
• Eye wash
• Wound glue
• Anti-itch ointment
• Ace bandage

Health Insurance:
I purchased a 1-year policy from Multinational Underwriters, including a $1MIL limit, and $500k of evacuation insurance. No exclusions for motorcycles of any displacement; from my research, most travel insurance policies will exclude any moto/scooter over ~200cc. I also included the Sports Rider coverage for things like diving, bunjee jumping, caving, etc. Important note: This policy will not cover me in the USA.