Just as I expected, that doesn't work. Only .5% died. That wasn't the epidemic. The number of infected was.
The article says: "In 1918, when the world population was 1.8 billion, an influenza epidemic incapacitated 1 billion and killed 20 million, all within the space of 8 weeks."
See it? It was an epidemic not because of the numbers of dead in itself, but because 1 billion were sick and those who died all died in 8 weeks.
I still don't see any evidence that 2 to 4% is an epidemic. Also, I made the point about Anglicans. It must have been a good one since you guys won't touch it.
2%-4% of your Catholic Latin clergy are sexual predators and you don't see that as an epidemic (your figures by the way not mine)? If 2% of the population was infected with AIDS we would have a health disaster on our hands.