For most residents in Hawaii, the pesky mosquito has been largely that — pesky, but benign.

But lately, the insect has emerged in a much more virulent light, spreading dengue fever on Hawaii island. As of Tuesday, there were 224 confirmed cases there.

The outbreak has spurred the state’s “Fight the Bite” campaign that calls for reducing mosquito breeding areas, avoiding places with mosquitoes and applying repellent.

Now it’s reported that another mosquito-borne virus, the Zika virus, has caused a rare defect in a baby recently born on Oahu, in which a baby’s head is smaller than expected.

Officials say the mother likely got the virus while living in Brazil, and infection occurred in the womb. Neither the baby nor mother is infectious, so there’s no risk of transmission.

A timely reminder, though: Fight the bite — and clear standing water around the home.

Vacation rentals to be scrutinized

The city’s hiring this month of five temporary housing-zoning code inspectors was a necessary step toward cracking down on illegal vacation rentals on Oahu.

Most of the positions have been filled by retired inspectors of the city Department of Planning and Permitting, and there is one more position to fill.

During 2014 and 2015, the department’s Residential Code Enforcement Branch conducted 2,719 site visits tied to transient vacation rental investigations, which led to 57 violation notices and 31 violation corrections.