Viral virulence

[stuhansenmic at SPOCK.COLSF.EDU]

I'm an undergrad bio major who has been lurking here for some time.  With
all this talk of Ebola, it seems to me that a virus that destroys its host
very quickly is certainly not helping itself.  Would'nt it more beneficial
for the virus to remain latent for a long period of time to allow it to
be transmitted further and replicate more? Am I way off track in this idea?
Thanks in advance for any responses.

Mike Hansen