Talk to your insurance agent if you feel you run any health risks that might be exacerbated by overseas travel. You can buy an insurance rider that will cover you in the event of a need for evacuation, which can cost from $10-100,000. The American Medical Center offers a low-cost Traveler's Medical Access Plan offering full access to their medical services in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

While there are more and more Western - style pharmacies in Russia which can dispense common prescriptions and over - the - counter drugs, it is best to bring your own. Keep all medicines in their original bottles and make sure prescription medicine is labeled as such. This will help avoid problems at customs.

Always check with your physician and consider updating your immunizations, particularly for the "childhood diseases": diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella and polio. The alarming rise in diphtheria cases in Russia of late, due to slack immunization procedures, is reason enough for this. A tetanus update is also a good idea while you are at it. If you are traveling in the provinces, you should be immunized against hepatitis A and typhoid and receive immunoglobulin injections. Tick-borne encephalitis and lyme disease have also been reported in Siberia. You can, and should, get immunized against the former. which you can do in Europe or in Moscow or St. Petersburg at the American Medical Center.

The water you drink will be a major determinant of your travel health. St. Petersburg water carries the giardia lamblia parasite, harmless to residents, but debilitating to visitors. Don't drink St. Petersburg water unless it has been boiled for at least five minutes. Don't even brush your teeth with it. And avoid ice cubes. Stick to bottled water. Evian and other brands are available in most hotels and grocery stores these days. Water in other cities is of irregular quality.

Avoid foods that are not fully cooked, especially fish (abstain from raw fish, which in the Far East is a delicacy) and poultry. Be careful with some fresh fruits (i.e. melons) that may be injected with water to make them grow bigger (see note on water above). Always peel fresh fruit before eating it.

Diarrhea, the most common traveler's ailment, can be debilitating in extreme cases. If you develop diarrhea that lasts longer than 5 days, you should consult a physician immediately. If you don't have along diarrhea medicine, here is an alternative cure that may work (if you can find the ingredients): Prepare in one glass 8 ounces of boiled or bottled water and one quarter teaspoon of baking soda; in a second glass prepare 8 ounces of fruitjuice, a half-teaspoon of honey or corn syrup, and a pinch of salt. Drink alternately from each glass until your thirst is quenched.  Avoid solid foods until recovery occurs.