Hillsborough county commissioners are learning more about what the county is doing to monitor and track the Zika virus.

Six new cases of Zika virus were confirmed in Florida this week. Out of nine total cases, two of them were reported in Hillsborough County.

The World Health Organization recently declared the spread of the Zika virus to be a global public health emergency. Zika has been linked to reports of birth defects in Brazil.

Commissioner Al Higginbotham says more funding for mosquito control may be needed if the Zika virus is found in local mosquito populations.

“If we need to increase funds to address the Zika virus, we are certainly going to do that," Higginbotham said.

Hillsborough County is monitoring for the Zika virus the same way it track other mosquito-borne viruses like West Nile. Test kits are deployed to "hot spot" areas where mosquito populations are higher.

Chicken coops are used to house sentinel chickens, which are then tested for viruses. The county also deploys helicopters, airboats and trucks to release chemicals, killing off mosquito populations that could be trouble for Floridians.

“W are battling mosquito control through the reports of citizens," Higginbotham said. "We have traps that are sent to hotspots. We have sentinel chickens in coops that are tested for viruses. In particular we are now watching for the Zika.”

So far the Zika virus has not been discovered in any mosquitoes across the state.

If further tests come back positive, county commissioners could increase its budget for Mosquito Control. Right now, the county spends $2.4 million on mosquito control, a pot of money that is supplemented by funds from the Air Force.

The first budget workshop for Hillsborough County's new fiscal budget is scheduled for mid-February.