18 passengers return to U.S. after weeks on cruise ship hit with hantavirus outbreak

Eighteen U.S. passengers have returned stateside after weeks on the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak. They're being monitored at specialized medical facilities. AILSA CHANG, HOST: OK. Eighteen Americans have returned to the U.S. after several weeks on the cruise ship that got hit with a hantavirus outbreak. They flew overnight from the Canary Islands on a flight arranged by the U.S. government, and for now, they're staying in specialized facilities for observation, for treatment and to make sure that they don't spread the virus. NPR's Pien Huang is here with the latest. Hi, Pien. PIEN HUANG, BYLINE: Hey, Ailsa. CHANG: OK. I feel like so much has happened in just the last 24 hours. How are these people doing? Do we know? HUANG: So they are very tired. That's according to the team at the University of Nebraska Medical Center that's taking care of most of them. And they range in age from their late 20s to their early 80s. They arrived early this morning, and most are in good condition. CHANG: Good. HUANG: So there are 16 that are staying on in Nebraska. Most have their own quarantine rooms, which are air-handled rooms. That means the air is filtered and separate from the rest of the building. And this is for people who don't have any symptoms and haven't tested positive for the virus. Now, there is one person who tested mildly positive for the virus. That's according to health officials. …